(Read Acts 10:34-4834Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 36The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 37That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 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 him. 39And 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: 40Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; 41Not 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. 42And 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 quick and dead. 43To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. 44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. (Acts 10:34‑48).)
“THEN Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: but 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 Christ Jesus: (he is Lord of all:) that word, I say, ye know” (vers. 34, 35). Peter was evidently perfectly conversant with what had taken place: that Cornelius and his household had heard some of the truth in regard to Israel; but, as I said before, whatever blessing or inheritance was Israel’s, Cornelius, being a Gentile, in his uprightness of character, knew that such did not belong to him. He longed for peace, but thought only the Jew could get it. But what does the gospel bring to all now? Peace! When the Saviour was born, on that very day, the heavenly messengers proclaimed,” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” What a priceless boon to weary sin-burdened souls! Peace! Let me ask you, Have you peace? Do you possess peace? Are your sins forgiven? Are you clear with God? Are you clear that you have escaped judgment? Answer these questions.
Beware of a false peace: I cannot deny that there are many men living today, who have a false peace, for “when a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace” (Luke 11:2121When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: (Luke 11:21)). What does our Lord mean by these words? I think I understand. That palace is the world, and the strong man, who has his goods in peace, is the devil: he keeps his goods in peace. Young man, were you never troubled about your soul? Certainly not; why should I be? Your answer just illustrates this scripture, “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.” The devil, let me tell you, has an uncommonly good, a very diversified, a splendid armory. He does not hold every one with the same suit, if I may say so. He knows how to meet every one. He will give you what you want.
He will hold some with the wine-cup; others, he will snare with a pack of cards; others, he will entangle with the theater, or, it may be, with the novel, or the love of gold, or the power of lust, or the charms of knowledge, or something of that sort. You have never, perhaps, felt sorrow for your sins; nor will you if he can keep you from thinking of these sins, and of the serious fact that you are a sinner. He will try all he can to keep you from being awakened to the fact that you are a guilty man, and by all means in his power rob you of the blessing of being born again, and brought to God. For many a long day a man may go on in false peace, thinking all is right, when all is wrong, for mark, “when a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.” That is a false peace; the devil’s lullaby for souls deceived by sin, and ofttimes helped hell-ward by a Christless religion. Thank God! if you are troubled now about your sins and your lost estate. Better far is it for a man to be in soul-trouble now, and thus get the peace which God gives, than to go on through life in the delusive peace which the devil ministers, only to wake up in eternity to the awful discovery that the peace was a fraud, and that God’s judgment of sin is everlasting.
What we have before us in this scripture is God’s peace―peace by Jesus Christ―the peace of the weary―the peace of the troubled―the peace that God alone can give. And what is that? The knowledge that He has nothing against me, and that there is nothing between Him and me; that the claims of His infinitely holy throne have all been met in regard to myself, and my sins, and I can look at that throne with the sense, I am perfectly fit for it;—I am ready to stand before it. You say, How? Because He is pleased with what I have done? No! But because of the finished work of Christ. The knowledge of that work has let me see that there is ‘hot a single thing left between the infinitely holy God, and the infinitely sinful man, whose sin has been divinely and definitively met by the atoning death of the blessed Son of God. Christ took my place in death and judgment, that God might give me His in life and glory. When that knowledge enters the heart, peace, like a river, surges through the soul; and that is the peace I have got.
But you say, Have you never any doubts? Doubts! What should I have doubts about? I do not doubt that by nature I am a guilty, godless, hell-deserving sinner, and till Christ met me I was bound there: I have not a doubt about that. Have you, as regards yourself? But since grace met and saved me, by the work of Another, why should I have a doubt. Have you any doubts, my friend? If so, I hope the Lord will dispel them tonight. If not saved you are on your road to hell; there can be no doubt as to that surely. If grace does not deliver you from the grip of Satan, and the power of sin, you will spend eternity there. Oh, you say, I do not believe in such a place. You will have to believe it yet, mark that, my friend. You will be converted some day, on that point, depend upon it. See to it that it be not too late.
That is a fine stratagem of the devil to tell you that there is no judgment―no hell―no punishment hereafter. The pathway of Christ refutes that folly. Jesus, the Son of God, came down from heaven to earth, and died to deliver men like you and me from hell. He agonized on the cross that He might rescue me from the consequences of my sin, and blessed be His name, He has rescued me! Why do you not allow Him to rescue you tonight?
“He is Lord of all.” Not merely of the Jew, but of the Gentile as well. “He is Lord of all.” Lovely word! He is my Lord: the time was when I was under another master, and I served him faithfully, but now my master is changed. Time was when I had a bad master, and he had a very good servant. But now, I have an infinitely blessed Master, and He has a poor servant. Thank God! He is my Lord. Can you say the same? Do not be ashamed to say it.
A young woman came to me the other day, and said, “Four and a half years ago I was converted through your preaching, but I was ashamed to confess Jesus.” “Ashamed of Jesus! Ashamed of the Lord! And what are you ashamed of now?” I asked. “Oh,” said she, “I am ashamed now to confess that I ever was ashamed to own Him.” Are you, my friend, ashamed of Jesus: ashamed to own your Lord: ashamed to own the Son of God? Wake up! wake up! There is an immense privilege open to you, to be on the Lord’s side. “But,” says somebody, “I am such a sinner.” Never mind that: the deepest-dyed sinner may be saved by Jesus’ grace. Let Him save you, and deliver you, and send you through this world as a witness of what grace can do.
People sometimes think it a poor thing to be a Christian. I think it a paltry thing not to be one: that is my decided conviction, and I advise every young man without any further delay to yield himself up to Him, and be on His side, out-and-out. I do not like half and half work—a back-boneless kind of a Christian is no good at all. Such are like the salt the Lord speaks of; they are of no use for the field, and of no use for the dunghill (Luke 14:34, 3534Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 14:34‑35)). There are a good many of this kind in the professing Church. They do not do the Church any good, and they do the worldling much harm, for their inconsistency and apathy encourage men in unbelief; in fact, they are stumbling-blocks over which sinners stumble into hell. They have too much of the world to really enjoy Christ, and witness for Him, and their consciences will not let them go the whole way in the world. A young convert said to me this morning, “I like to see the people of the world downright.” “So do I,” I replied, “and you can tell them that hell is the end of their journey.” “And, sir,” said he, “I like to see a Christian out-and-out.” That is just exactly what I like. I want it for myself, and I want you to be out-and-out too.
Having announced Him as “Lord of all,” Peter goes on to tell the history of Jesus, and unfolds three great truths―God with us; God for us; and God in us. First of all, you find the truth of God with us: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 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 him. 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” (vers. 38, 39). There you see the fulfillment of the scripture,” A virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matt. 1:2323Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Matthew 1:23)).
Then Peter; from verse 40 to verse 43, brings out the truth, “God for us,” while verse 44 gives us the truth, “God in us.” “God for us” is shown in the death of Christ, and all the consequences of blessing which accrue to us from it. As the Holy Ghost falls upon all this assembly (vs. 44), we see the truth of “God in us.” You must not forget that the Christian is a man in whose body the Holy Ghost dwells; and therefore it is a very solemn thing to be a Christian.
Just a word or two then, as to verse 40 and onwards. “Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly.” In the moment of His death Christ wrought atonement, when He bore the sinner’s sins, and was made sin that we might escape its consequences. He sacrificed Himself, and thus infinitely glorified God; and what was the result? God raised Him up. I can tell you therefore of a risen, triumphant, victorious Saviour. That is the Saviour I know. He triumphed over sin, Satan, death, the grave, and the power of darkness; and as the risen man He lives before God. “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.” There was unmistakable evidence of the reality of His Person. “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 quick and dead.”
Observe, my friend, if you do not let Him save you, He will have to judge you. And you say, Will He not judge you too? No! blessed be His name, never! Why? Because He is my Saviour; that is the whole point. Judgment will not be a mockery. I quite admit, I shall have to give account of my walk and ways as a Christian; but, when you talk about judgment, that raises the question of the imputation of guilt; and do you think Christ is going to impute guilt to those for whom He died? Let Scripture answer: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again; who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Rom. 8:33, 3433Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:33‑34)). I have no fear of judgment; fear is gone out of my heart, because Christ is my Saviour. Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? is the challenge. Let Satan accuse; the devil will do it if he can, but God will justify the believer, and He will silence the accuser. Christ died, and He died for me that I might be delivered, and saved; and, what He died to do, blessed be His name, He has done. He died for me that He might be my Saviour, and He has saved me, for I trust Him. Do you not trust Him? If so, you are saved by Him, as the fruit of His perfect love, and finished work. Well wrote Steele―
“He took the guilty culprit’s place,
And suffered in his stead;
For man (O miracle of grace!),
For man, the Saviour bled.”
As the righteous outcome of His finished work, Peter now declares: “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (vs. 43). That is the very thing I wanted; and the very thing you need. Every prophet bears witness that the one who trusts Jesus has forgiveness of his or her sins. Are not these sweet words? “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” And what did the listeners to that lovely gospel do? They were dear, simple people, and they believed the gospel, for “while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word.” This was the fullness of grace indeed. The triumph of grace is seen here.
There is nowhere in the ways of God with man, in which His grace sparkles with greater brilliancy, than in this scene, where the Gentile, who had no claim on, and no link with Him, hears the gospel, in all its fullness, and the Holy Ghost falls on the believer, without either baptism, as in the case of the Jew (Acts 2:3838Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)), prayer, as in the case of the Samaritans (Acts 8:1515Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (Acts 8:15)), or laying on of hands, as in the case of the Jewish proselytes at Ephesus (Acts 19:66And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)). The hearing of faith secured the blessing when the “words” Peter spake fell from his lips.
“Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter, who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved” (Acts 11:13, 1413And he showed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. (Acts 11:13‑14)), was the command Cornelius received, and the obedience of faith soon heard the words of life. I sometimes say that the little letter K is responsible for a good deal of mischief. WORDS and WORKS differ only in one letter. Knock out the D, and put in the K, and there is all the difference possible. WORDS were what Cornelius was to hear. He was not told to do any WORKS. Have you thought you had to do some WORKS, to obtain salvation? Not so, my friend. What you need is to hear words. You must knock that letter K out of your religion, or you will never be saved. But I hear some one say, Must I do nothing? Nothing, Christ has done everything; that is the whole point. “Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved,” is God’s way of salvation. When saved you are careful to “maintain good works,” not in order to salvation, but just because you possess it.
Peter told them lovely words. What were the words? Listen “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” The forgiveness of sins, through the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the present possession of every soul, man or woman, that receives Him, and the Holy Ghost seals the faith of the believing one― He comes, and indwells all such. Peter’s address was very short; but it had no sooner fallen from his lips, than the “Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”
The Holy Ghost always seals the faith of a soul that trusts in Jesus. How then does a man get the Holy Ghost? By believing. He not only gets the forgiveness of his sins, but the Holy Ghost comes down and seals his faith. If I were you, I would not go away from this place without having the knowledge in your soul, that your sins were forgiven, and that you had received the Holy Ghost. It is your portion if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hear what Paul says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)). When a man buys sheep, he is only wise to put his own mark upon them: but observe, the mark does not make the sheep his; the purchase-money makes them his. He puts his mark upon them, to show that the sheep do belong to him, and so God marks every one of His children by giving them the Holy Ghost. He has put His mark on every one in this hall that really believes in Jesus dead and risen.
And you, my friend, can soon find out if you have His mark upon you; if you truly know that Jesus loved you, and died for you, and you simply trust in Him, I believe you have the Holy Ghost sealing the forgiveness of your sins. And now, I want you to join the choir tonight. What choir? The choir of the ransomed. People sometimes say, We have been asked to join the choir. Are you converted? I ask. If not, you cannot be in the choir of the redeemed, and that is the choir I want you to sing in. Everyone who really believes in the name of Jesus, let him join in singing―
“Come sing, my soul, at praise the Lord,
Who hath redeemed thee by His blood;
Delivered thee from chains that bound,
And brought thee to redemption ground.”
W. T. P. W.