A Heart after God
Acts 10:1-23
February 28-March 1, 2026
Welcome everyone joining us online. Hey, would you all open your Bibles today to the Book of Acts? We're going to be in Acts 10. Take a little break from the Book of Jeremiah, letting that guy on Wednesday catch up to us. He is so slow, one can't believe it. The title of our message is A Heart After God. Very important what God has for us in His Word. Let's pray and receive from God's Word together. Lord, we are so thankful. We know that You used the Word to draw us to Yourself, to pour out the Spirit of life. Through Your Word, we pray that You would meet us here by Your Holy Spirit. God, we open our heart to receive from You today.
A heart after God. A sincere, authentic faith. That is what God is desiring, to see and do, a heart after God. How important is it? The Scripture says that God sees not as man sees. Man, look at the outward appearance. God sees the heart. In fact, that is where life is transformed. Jesus said that the mouth speaks and the life is lived from that which fills the heart. This is such an important aspect to our relationship to the living God. Proverbs 4:23 says, Guard your heart with all diligence. Watch over your heart, for from it flow the streams of life.
In John 4, when Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman there at the well, the Samaritan woman, Jesus said, Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give will never thirst, and the water that I give will spring up in him as a well of life, springing up to eternal life. The life is lived from that which fills the heart. God is transforming lives by transforming that heart. The church here in the book of Acts, born early in this book, the great revival broke out there in Jerusalem, but then a great persecution arose against the church. It was dispersed throughout Judea, Samaria, and outer regions. They were dispersed, and they brought the gospel with them and brought it to the Jews.
This is primarily how the church was born, out of the Jews. In Chapter 10, God is about to do something shocking, at least it was shocking to them, in that now the gospel must be broken out to the Gentiles. Peter was, no doubt, very proud of his Jewishness, and for good reason. God chose Israel as His chosen people. They are the ones who received the promises of God. They knew that the whole world would be blessed from the Messiah, the Jewish Messiah that would come, but they considered Gentiles, they rejected Gentiles, considered them unclean. They made it rules and traditions that were not biblical. They would not eat with Gentiles. They would not even eat food that was prepared by a Gentile. They would not invite them into their house, and they would not even sit at a table with them.
In Matthew 28, Jesus told the disciples to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, but He didn't mean just to take the gospel to the Jews that might happen to live at the end of the earth. He meant it for all people. God's heart is for all people. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Someone once famously said, the ground at the foot of the cross is level. God's heart is for all people.
Acts 10 is about two men. One is Cornelius, and the other is Peter. Cornelius is an officer in the army of Rome. He's Gentile. He's a Roman officer, however, of the Italian cohort. Interestingly, he's an amazing man with a great heart. He seeks after God. He came to Israel, heard about this God of the Jews, and something happened to him, and he took hold of God for himself. He then gave to the Jewish poor generously, praised God continuously. He loves the light. God's going to give him more light. He's hungry for truth. God's going to give him more truth. He longs to be closer to God, and he's about to receive the Holy Spirit in an amazing way, which is an interesting principle. To everyone who has, more will be given, and we'll have an abundance. This was true for Cornelius.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is about to be offered to the Gentile world, and it's all going to begin with this amazing man, Cornelius. The story is also about Peter and what God must do to change his heart. He thought of the Gentiles in the same way. Things need to change. His heart needs to be transformed in order for God's glorious purpose to be revealed. This thing is standing in the way of that which God desires to do. Now interestingly, God was preparing Peter for this. As Peter was traveling through these parts, he was called upon to heal two Gentile people.
One of them was this man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed for eight years. Peter came to him and says, "Arise and make your bed." What powerful words. "Arise, make your bed." They were powerful words because I have said those same words to my kids for many years, and they never did them.
All right, that was a bad joke. All right, let's go with it. Acts 10. Let's read the story of it beginning in verse 1. Now there was a certain man at Caesarea. Go to Israel with us. We go to these places. Caesarea is on the coast there in northern Israel. Of Caesarea, his name was Cornelius, a centurion Roman officer of what was called the Italian cohort. He was a devout man, one who feared God, the God of the Jews, he and all his household. He gave many alms to the Jewish people, prayed to God continually.
Now about the ninth hour of the day, that would be three in the afternoon, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come into him. He said, "Cornelius." fixing his gaze upon him. Being much alarmed, he said, "What is it, Lord?" He said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. Now dispatch some men to Joppa. Send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying with a certain tanner named Simon whose house is by the sea." By the way, Joppa is about 35 miles or so south of Caesarea on the coast also. When we go to Israel, we go to Simon the tanner's house. It's quite amazing.
Now, when the angel, verse 7, who was speaking to him had departed, Cornelius summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were in constant attendance upon him. After he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa. Now on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up to the house stop about the sixth hour to pray, about noon. He became hungry and was desiring to eat. While they were making preparations, he fell into a trance. He beheld the sky opened up and a certain object, like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground. There in it were all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.
A voice came to him, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat." Peter said, "No, by no means, Lord. I have never eaten anything unholy or unclean." Obviously, there were unclean animals in this. Then a voice came again a second time to him saying, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." This happened three times. Then immediately the object was taken up into the sky. Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what this vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate. Calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there. Now, while Peter was reflecting on this vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, these three men are looking for you. Arise, go downstairs, and accompany them without misgivings, for I myself have sent them." Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold, I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason you have come?" They said, "Now, Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear a message from you."
And so Peter invited them in, Gentiles though they be, and gave them lodging in the house, and they spent the night. Now, on the next day, he arose and he went with them. As we know the rest of the story, he goes to Cornelius's house. The Holy Spirit falls on this place, and revival breaks out. He shares the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ is going to break through to the Gentiles. It's an amazing story, and a lot for us in the story to understand. Starting with this, when it comes to the heart within, the soul within, that is important for us to understand, that you have a say in the matter. The kind of heart that you have, you have a say. You can choose who you will become.
I. Choose Who You Will Be
I was thinking of an illustration many years ago. Our granddaughter, many of you know we adopted our granddaughter when she was younger. One day she did something that was less than obedient. I asked her what was happening. She said, "That was my naughty self." I said, "But you get to choose what self you will be." That was cute. You have a choice to choose what self you will be. There are different conditions of the heart. We are free to choose who we will be. Jesus, interestingly, gave a parable that the heart is like different types of soil, and the Word of God is sewn like seed upon that soil, different types.
There's hard hearts. We certainly know that's true. Hard hearts that cannot receive the Word of God at all. Others are like soil that has rocks, so that the soil is thin, and then it receives the Word, but it doesn't make any depth of root. Then when the heat of the sun comes, they're easily offended, He says, and they wither. Others have soil with thistles and thorns and weeds, and it chokes out anything good. Anything of the Word of God, it chokes it out, and it produces nothing. Other soil, He says, they hold fast to the Word of God, and they are the ones that produce 30, 60, 100-fold.
A. A good heart seeks after God
One of the lessons, of course, in the story is that God is working to change the heart. Hearts can be changed. Hearts can be transformed. That is what God is doing now. If a heart is hard, it needs to be broken because it needs to be changed. If a heart is hurting, God's going to be healing. If a heart is good, God's going to move to bring something of depth. Cornelius is a man that has a heart that's good, but it needs to be changed yet. He's hungry. He seeks after God. God's about to give him, however, the greatest news that the world could ever hear, that God has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to the living God. He's hungry for more, and God is going to give that desire.
The soul is searching. The soul is desiring. We know this is true. The soul is longing. Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." One of the things that comes out of the story is that a good heart is seen in this, that a good heart seeks after God. Now, as a typical Roman, he would have been familiar with all of the Roman gods that were a very important part of the Roman culture, Jupiter, Venus, Apollo, and many more. When he came to Israel, he discovered the God of Israel, and it resonated, his spirit, it resonated in his spirit.
It reminds me of that Scripture that the spirit bears witness to our spirit. The spirit within hears this about God, and the spirit testifies to our spirit. Something stirs within. He discovered the God of Israel and became devout. He gave generously. He had a consistent faithful prayer life, and he revered God. He says he feared God. It means he revered. It's a very important word. It means to put God in the place of highest honor in your life. It's very important to understand that this is what God desires. Notice Deuteronomy 10:12, "What does the Lord your God require from you?' This is a great verse. What is it that God desires? What is it that God is seeking that you would have in your life?"
He says this, "That you would fear the Lord your God, revere Him in highest place, that you would walk in His ways, that you would love Him, and that you would serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." That is a great verse. That helps us to see God's desire for our lives. Cornelius understood what many people have yet to understand, that your relationship to God should have a direct impact on how you live your life. He was well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews. He treated them well. He was very generous in giving of alms to the people that were poor.
He prayed. He gave. No doubt, a heart that's good is generous. That's true. I'm convinced that he was generous because he was rich toward God. I love that perspective, being rich toward God. When I think about that, I think about a story I read a number of years ago, and I want to read to you some of it here now. The story is called The Rich Family in Church, written by this lady named Eddie Ogan. She said this, "I'll never forget Easter 1946. I was 14. My little sister Ocy was 12. My older sister, Darlene, was 16. We lived at home with our mother, and the four of us knew what it was to do without many things. Our father had died five years before, leaving a mom with seven school kids to raise and no money.
By 1946, my older sisters were married and gone. My brothers had left home. Then, a month before Easter, the pastor of our church announced that a special Easter offering would be taken up to help a poor family. He asked everyone to save and to give sacrificially. When we got home, we talked about what we could do. We decided to buy 50 pounds of potatoes and live on them for a month. That would allow us to save $20 of our grocery money for this offering. Then we thought, if we kept our electric lights turned out as much as possible, didn't listen to the radio, we could save money on that month's electric bill.
Darlene got as many house and yard cleaning jobs as possible. Both of us babysat for everyone we could, and for 15 cents, we could buy cotton loops to make pot holders to sell for $1. We made $20 on pot holders. Now that month was one of the best months of our lives. Every day we counted the money to see how much we had saved. At night, we'd sit in the dark, talk about how that poor family was going to enjoy having the money the church would give them. Now there were about 80 people in our church, so we figured that whatever amount of money we had to give, the offering would be surely 20 times that much.
After all, every Sunday that month, the pastor had reminded everyone to save for the sacrificial offering. The day before Easter, Ocy and I walked to the grocery store, got the manager to give us three crisp $20 bills and one $10 bill for all of our change. We ran all the way home to show Mom and Darlene. We had never seen so much money before in our lives. That night we were so excited we couldn't hardly sleep. We didn't care that we didn't have new clothes for Easter. We had $70 for the sacrificial offering. We could hardly wait to get to church.
On Sunday morning, rain was pouring, and we didn't own an umbrella, and the church was a mile from home, but it didn't seem to matter how wet we got. Darlene had cardboard in her shoes to fill her holes. The cardboard came apart and her feet got wet, but we sat in church proudly. I heard some teenagers talking about how the Smith girls had on their old dresses, and I looked at them in their new clothes, but I felt rich.
When the sacrificial offering was taken, we were sitting in the second row from the front. Mom put in the $10 bill. Each of us kids put in a $20 bill. As we walked home from church, we sang all the way home. At lunch, Mom surprised us. She had bought a dozen eggs, and we had boiled Easter eggs and fried potatoes for lunch. Later that afternoon, the minister drove up in his car. Mom went to the door, talked with him for a moment, came back with an envelope in her hand. We asked what it was. She didn't say a word. She opened the envelope and out fell a bunch of money.
There were three crisp $20 bills, one $10 bill, and 17 $1 bills. Mom put the money back in the envelope. We didn't talk, just sat, stared at the floor. We had gone from feeling like millionaires to feeling like poor trash. We kids had such a happy life that we felt sorry for anyone who didn't have our mom. We had a house full of brothers and sisters and other kids visiting constantly. We thought it was fun to share silverware and to see who got the spoon or the fork that night. We had two knives that we passed around to whoever needed them. I knew we didn't have a lot of things that other people had, and they never thought we were poor.
But that Easter, I found out that we were. The pastor had brought us the money for the poor family, so we must be poor. I didn't like being poor. I looked at my dress, my worn-out shoes, and I felt so ashamed. I didn't even want to go back to church. Everyone there probably already knew we were poor. Then I thought about school. I was in ninth grade at the top of my class of over 100 students. I wondered if the kids at school knew we were poor. I decided I could quit school since I had finished the eighth grade, which was all the law required.
We sat in silence for a long time. Then it got dark. We went to bed. All that week, we girls went to school and came home, and no one talked much. Finally, on Saturday, Mom asked what we wanted to do with the money. We didn't know. What did poor people do with money? We never knew we were poor. We didn't want to go to church, but Mom said we had to. Although it was a sunny day, we didn't talk on the way. Mom started to sing, but no one joined in. She only sang one verse. At church that Sunday, there was a guest speaker, a missionary from Africa. He talked about how churches in Africa made buildings out of sun-dried bricks, but they needed money to buy roofs.
He said, $100 would put a roof on a church. The pastor said, "Can't we all sacrifice and help these poor people?" We looked at each other and smiled for the first time in a week. Mom reached into the purse, pulled out the envelope. She passed it to Darlene. Darlene gave it to me, and I handed it to Ocy and Ocy put it in the offering. When the offering was counted, the pastor announced that it was a little over $100. The missionary was excited. He hadn't expected such a large offering from such a small church. He said, "You must have some rich people in this church."
Suddenly it struck us. We had given $87 of that "little over $100." We were that rich family in the church. Hadn't the missionary said so? From that day on, I've never been poor a day in my life. I've always remembered how rich I am in Jesus." That is a great story. Amen.
B. We all need Jesus
Back in Acts 10, the story is this, that we all need Jesus. He's a good man. He's generous, but it's not enough. We all need Jesus. The angel of God appears to convey us with this message to send some men to Joppa, ask for this man named Simon Peter, who will tell them what he must do. Here's an interesting question. Why didn't the angel just explain the whole thing? Because that's not their mission. It's our mission.
2 Corinthians 5:20, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were entreating through us. Therefore, we beg you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. This is what God is doing today. He is reconciling sinners to himself, and he's using us to be the ambassadors that bring that gospel of reconciliation to the world. Amen. Now, there's no question that Cornelius was a good man. If anyone could be considered qualified to enter heaven on merits, it would be Cornelius. He needed Jesus because it's on the basis of faith in His name that we receive the forgiveness of sin. Without our sins forgiven, we cannot be reconciled to God no matter how good a person may be.
Romans 3 says, there is none not righteous. No, not even one. All have sinned in falling short of the glory of God. No matter what good things they may have done, they're not right with God until their sins are forgiven, and their sins are forgiven because the blood of Jesus Christ has washed their sins away. Only then can they be made right with God. Interestingly, I read a story about this guy who was golfing, and he happened to see that Bob Hope was on the golf course, so he thought that he would come up to him and share the gospel. As he came up to him and started to speak, Bob Hope cut him off and said, ''Look, when you've given as much money to charity as I have, then I'll listen to you.''
He presumed that he was right with God because he had given something to charity. Now, Bob Hope was very funny, but Bob Hope was no Cornelius. Here's a great verse, Deuteronomy 10:17. This is one of those verses that just stand above so many other verses. Notice, ''For the Lord your God is the God of Gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, the awesome God who does not show partiality, nor does He take a bribe.'' That's a mic drop verse right there.
II. Let God’s Word Instruct Your Heart
Meanwhile, back in Acts 10, back at the tanner's house is Peter. Something's going to have to change in Peter. This thing, this attitude, toward others, is standing in the way of that which God desires to do. It starts with this, ''Let God's word instruct.'' Something's going to have to change here, ''Let God's word instruct.'' Peter's in Joppa, a small port town. It's near the airport if you ever go to Israel. He's up in the house stop at noon, falls into this trance of vision. If the gospel is going to break forth this thing that stands in the way, God must remove it.
A. Be teachable
But first it starts with the attitude of being teachable. This is very true today. Peter's vision, something like a sheet is lowered down, all kinds of creatures that were unclean according to the Jewish law. Then a voice comes, ''Arise, Peter, kill and eat.'' He says, ''No.'' Like, emphatically, ''By no means.'' Now, many pastors and Bible teachers give Peter a really hard time here because he says, ''No. I've never eaten anything unholy.'' He's like, ''No.'' Now interestingly, of course, in Leviticus 11, the Jews were given clear instructions in regards to what is clean or unclean that they could eat. Now many people know, of course, that Jews do not eat ham or bacon. Other things are less obvious.
For example, Jews are not allowed to eat owls, particularly spotted owls. If you're from Oregon, you get that joke. Vultures. No, they cannot. Skunks, bats. Not that anyone would want to eat these, but no, cannot eat them. These things were detestable. Just the sight of them were detestable to Peter. He recoiled even seeing such things. They were detestable to him. Today, it'd be like a healthy vegetarian being told to eat a burrito from Taco Bell. It's like, ''No.'' It's like, ''No.'' Why did this happen? Why was it necessary that this thing happen three times?
I think of two possibilities. One, Peter may have thought this was a test. That this was a test of his heart to hear, to obey. Interestingly, there was an example of this very thing in Jeremiah 35. We're about to get to that chapter at our Wednesday study. In chapter 35, God used the resolute spirit of a people called the Rechabites to teach Israel a lesson. Now, the Rechabites weren't Jews. They lived some distance away, but they came to Jerusalem seeking protection because the Babylonian army was bearing down on the region, as we know the story.
They come into the city, and God instructs Jeremiah to use the Rechabites as an object lesson for Israel. He tells Jeremiah to bring the Rechabite people into the House of the Lord and to set before them pitchers of wine with cups and then say to them, "Drink." This was an object lesson. He brings the Rechabite people into the House of the Lord, sets before them pitchers of wine with cups, and he says to them, "Drink." They respond, "No, we cannot drink." They resolutely refuse. No, they're not even Jews. "No." There comes the lesson, Jeremiah 35. God says, "Will you not receive instruction by listening to my words?" declares the Lord.
The words of Jehonadab by which he instructed his sons not to drink wine are observed, for they have obeyed their father's command. I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not listened to me. Perhaps Peter thought this was like that, a test. Perhaps he thought that he was passing the test, but he said no. When he was told three times, that changed everything. In the Middle Eastern culture, it's still true today that there is a custom that if something is said three times, then it's meant sincerely. Persians today call this taarof.
For example, a Middle Eastern host is obliged to offer anything the guest might want, and then the guest is equally obliged to refuse it. By politeness, this is a custom. When something is said three times, that changes the matter. Now it's meant. Now it's sincere. We have something like that today. If you've ever been to lunch with somebody, and then the check comes, and then you say, "Oh, let me get that." Then the person says, "Oh, no, let me get that." Then you say, "Oh, no, let me get that." At some point, you realize, "Oh, he means it." Then you say, "Oh, thank you very much." It's like that.
In Eastern cultures, it's three. It's exact. It must be three times for it to be considered like you mean this sincerely. Now there's been some interesting stories of this backfiring when a Persian meets an American. As you know, Americans are famous for saying what they mean the first time. A Persian invited an American to his house. While they're having a meal or whatever, the American says to the Persian, "What a beautiful Persian rug." Persian rugs are famous around the world. They're handmade. Some of them are worth like $40,000, $50,000. They're amazing.
The American says, "Oh, what a beautiful Persian rug." The Persian, out of taarof, says, "Oh, you like it? Please have it." The American says, "Really? That's amazing. Thank you so much," and rolls it up and puts it in his car. Then the Persian's got to go call an American friend, "Help me out of this. I didn't mean it. I didn't say it three times." By the way, speaking of Persians, we need to pray for what's happening in the Middle East today. Pray for the peace of Israel, peace for Jerusalem, but peace in the Middle East. This may end up bringing greater peace, but now we ask God to end this and bring peace and security to the Middle East. Amen.
When I think of what I think of this, I'm reminded of a number of years ago, there were two Persians that came into church. Two Persian men came into church. Went up the stairs and asked to speak with the pastor. I came out, and one of them in particular wanted to speak. I sat down with him, and I said, "How can I help you?" He said, "I'm here from Iran on a work visa. And I asked my friend to find a church, and he brought me here because I have heard about a God who hates. All my life, I've heard about a God who hates. Tell me about a God who loves." Then I got to share the Lord Jesus Christ, the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with him.
I didn't lead him to faith in Christ. Because I wanted him to come to faith in his own mother tongue, in Farsi. I have a friend. He's an Iranian pastor. Many of you know we have an Iranian church as part of our ministry here. They meet on Sunday afternoons. I called my friend, Pastor Kaveh. Pastor Kaveh met with him and shared the gospel with him in Farsi. He received the Lord Jesus Christ in his mother tongue, and he got baptized right here. Isn't that a glorious story?
Amazing. In fact, we have seen many come to faith in Jesus Christ. We have seen many come to faith and baptized right here. Did you know where in the world that there is a revival happening today? It's in Iran. God is appearing to them in their dreams. Jesus is appearing to them in their dreams, and they are receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. It's amazing. God is on the move. God is transforming lives. God is still doing that today amazingly. Can we give God praise and glory? Amen. Amen.
B. Don’t call unclean what God calls clean
Then comes a lesson. Don't call unclean what God calls clean. People do this today. This is not about food. This is about people. People reject other people just because of who they are or whatever background, ethnically, or whatever they may be or whatever station of life they may be. They reject them. Peter immediately applies this lesson, welcomes them in the house, gives them lodging for the night. Do not call unclean what I have called clean. By the way, you can also reverse that. Don't call clean what I've called unclean. There are many things in the world, God says, are detestable in my sight, yet are highly desired by the people of the world.
Secondly, then we see this in the story, that this is Peter. Peter is the one who failed the Lord. Three times he denied that he even knew the Lord. Failed miserably, yet he's the one that God is using for a glorious purpose. This is what God does. He takes the broken, the messed up, the failures. He reconciles them to himself. Then out of that reconciliation, he does something glorious. He puts glorious purpose into their lives. This is what God is doing now. God is still calling sinners, failures, rejects, nobodies, making them sons and daughters of the Almighty God and then giving to them glorious purpose.
Lord, I pray that you would do that very thing in us. Thank you, God, that you don't reject us for our failures, our sins, our brokenness, whatever ethnic or station of life you don't reject. But you invite us to draw near to be reconciled by forgiving our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, the blood that was shed is applied to our lives, that the sins that we all have, have been forgiven and forgiven in full. Then being reconciled to God, you give us glorious purpose.
You use the filled, reject broken people and give them glorious purpose. Church, as we're praying, how many would say to the Lord today, then do that in me? Lord, I want your glorious purpose. I want to move by your glorious purpose. I want to ask God that you would do this in me. Is that you, Church? Would you raise your hand? As a way of saying that to the Lord today, I'm asking God that you would do this in me. I want your glorious purpose. I want to move in it. God, thank you for reconciling failures, sinners, broken ones, and building something glorious. Oh, God, how we love you and honor you and thank you for all that you're doing in us now. In Jesus' powerful name, and everyone said? Amen.