The Word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ.
St. Peter at Caesarea to a Gentile company
1. Christ gave to Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven”--not keys of heaven, not keys of the Church, militant or triumphant, but keys of the kingdom of heaven on earth. St. Peter used one at Jerusalem to open the kingdom of heaven to the Jews; a second at Samaria, to open it to the Samaritans; a third at Caesarea, to open it to the Gentiles. We know that the Lord designed Saul to be His apostle to the Gentiles, but there was obvious advantage in the employment of Peter to open the door. He was known to all as a strict Jew; and if he was satisfied of the extension of God’s grace to the Gentiles, that would go far to abate the prejudice of the Hebrew Christians.
2. At Caesarea Peter did not make the occasion for his speech. It was made for him by Jesus, who was now directing from heaven the activities of His servants in the foundation and extension of the Church.
3. At Jerusalem the apostle began by removing a misconception from the minds of those whom he addressed; at Caesarea he acknowledged the removal of a misconception from his own mind. The definiteness and decision which marked his address were admittedly suited to a military audience. He also showed both tact and fairness in putting his statements on ground which was common to all. At Jerusalem he had spoken to Jews, and therefore rested on the ground of the Old Testament. But at Caesarea, though Cornelius was doubtless acquainted with the Septuagint, the ancient Scriptures were not to Gentiles what they were to Jews. Such adaptation is in harmony with common sense, and must be practised if justice is to be done to religious truth. To missionaries it is indispensable. A missionary to the Jews must reason from Moses and the prophets. But to the Gentiles it is not of much consequence to learn how the gospel is related to “Moses’ law.” What they need is to hear of One who has come “to destroy the works of the devil,” and to transfer men “from darkness into marvellous light.” This principle of adaptation shows itself clearly in Peter’s train of thought. His speech was--
I. A rehearsal of facts of which the audience was already cognisant (Acts 10:36-39). Though Jesus had never visited Caesarea, its inhabitants could not be unaware of the facts of His life and death. The fact that He had been accused before Pilate of high treason, and had been crucified as King of the Jews, must have attracted the notice of military men. St. Peter affirmed that this Jesus was no revolutionary agitator, but a preacher of good tidings of peace; though, as the apostle happily observed in a parenthesis, He was Lord, not of Israel only, but of all mankind. He did not touch the imperial rights of Caesar, and yet at the same time He was far above all the Caesars. The word and authority of Jesus had been attested by good deeds and works of healing; and these again were accounted for on this ground--that God, who had sent Him, was with Him, and anointed Him with the Holy Ghost and with power. If there was any hesitation to believe this, Simon Peter and his companions were ready with personal testimony; and although the speech was not interrupted by any question, we can well suppose that in the “certain days” which he spent at Caesarea, St. Peter told many an incident which his own eyes had seen in his Master’s career. Such a Prophet, such a Healer, the Jews had slain. The fact was already known, but the apostle saw fit to lay emphasis on the entire innocence of Jesus. He did so in order to remove any impression which may have lurked in the minds of an Italian officer that One whom the Roman governor had sentenced must have in some measure deserved His fate.
II. The announcement of a new fact, which changed the whole aspect of the case (Acts 10:40-41). God had raised up Jesus from the dead on the third day. No allusion to the 16th or 18th Psalm meets us here. Quotations from these were for a Jewish, not a Gentile, audience. What they cared for was sufficient proof; and the apostle adduced the proof with an exactness admirably suited to the occasion. He said, not that his Master was seen to rise, but that He was seen after He had risen; not that He was seen by as many as saw Him crucified--for the Christ-rejecting Jews were to see Him no more--but that He was Been by duly qualified witnesses, chosen by God. And in what way can any historical fact of an unusual nature be more sufficiently proved? If any allege that not even God can raise the dead, we have no argument with them here. But grant that the thing is possible with God, and then say what conditions of evidence would satisfy the mind. All mankind could not be present, so that it is a question of sufficient evidence. Now, in regard to Christ’s resurrection, note that--
1. The witnesses were sufficiently numerous--men and women, apostles and less prominent disciples; one at a time, then two, then eleven, then seven, then “five hundred brethren at once.”
2. They were of unblemished character. The rulers despised them as unlearned, but could never prove deceit. One of them, James, was honoured of all classes in Jerusalem as “the Just.”
3. They were Christ’s close companions, and could not have mistaken any other for Him.
4. They had ample opportunity to identify Him; for they not only saw and heard Him, but “did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead.”
5. They told the story from the beginning, and at the greatest possible risk to themselves. They laid on it at once the whole weight of the cause which they maintained; if it was a lie or an illusion, the Church would fail.
6. They adhered to it till their last breath; and not one of them could be induced to modify the statement that the Lord had risen.
III. A statement of the power and glory of the risen Jesus (verses 42, 43).
1. “This is He who is ordained of God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” St. Peter had touched on this at Jerusalem, when he spoke of the “time of restitution of all things,” addressing Jews, and confining himself to the sphere of Jewish expectation. But now he stated it in the way most suited to impress Gentiles. There was a special fitness in the first announcement of this to Gentiles being made to a Roman officer. The Romans were men of the sword, the sceptre, and the judgment seat. The Emperor was looked up to by the world as lord of all. And he, too, was judge of all, for appeals went up from all regions of the known world to the supreme throne of judgment at Rome. The apostle Peter had a startling statement to make to those men, which involved no treason against Caesar, and yet made the Emperor’s glory pale.
2. “Through His name everyone that believeth on Him shall receive remission of sins.” This came in well after the previous announcement. He who will be the Judge is now the Saviour. To this truth St. Peter said that all the prophets were bearing witness. Not the prophets of the Old Testament, which would have no significance for Roman soldiers, but prophets of the new age, as foretold in the ancient oracle of Joel (see Acts 11:27; Acts 13:1). As in music one does well to end on a full clear note, so the apostle did well to close with this abundant testimony to the blessing of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Good news to the Gentiles! It was such an assurance as none of their prophets, priests, or philosophers could give. And then this blessing was to be obtained on so simple a plan as faith in His name. He had not time to call on them to believe, for he was gloriously interrupted in his address. Soon as the good tidings of pardon fell from his lips, the audience was suffused with spiritual tenderness--“The Holy Ghost fell on all of them.” Mark what power resides in one short, clear sermon on Jesus Christ, when God has prepared both preacher and congregation. A hearty, straightforward preacher, brethren with him who are in prayerful sympathy, and an audience penetrated by the feeling that they are all assembled “before God”--what may not such a combination secure! That day was the Pentecost of the Gentiles. It is inaccurate to pray for another Pentecost, because the dispensation of the Spirit cannot begin again. But it is a constant duty to pray that the Spirit may continue to demonstrate to the hearts of men that word of salvation which is preached. (D. Fraser, D. D.)
The Messiahship of Jesus
Peter places foremost--
I. The prophetic office of Christ. God has proclaimed peace by Him; hence the message of peace, the Word, the doctrine of Christ, comes into the foreground. Next come the works of Christ (verse 38)--the deeds harmonised with the Word. The Word proclaimed, the deeds effected, peace and salvation. The deeds corroborated the Word; and if Christ were now to cease to bestow salvation, freedom, peace on enslaved souls, His Word of the gospel would find no more belief.
II. The priestly office of Christ.
1. In His death (verse 39).
2. In His resurrection, by which the atonement was completed and accepted.
3. In His bestowment of the virtues of His atonement--remission of sins through faith.
III. The kingly office of Christ.
1. He is Lord of all (verse 36).
2. He is Judge of quick and dead (verse 42).
He is highly exalted, the Lord of all men, Jews and Gentiles, so that all are bound to honour and obey Him. The climax of this glory is that Christ is appointed Judge of the world, even of the dead; so that His kingly power embraces even the lower regions, and generations long since dead, as well as those who are still unborn. (G. V. Lechler, D. D.)
Peace
I. This peace, which was not only preached to the Jews by Christ, but was procured for all by His life and death, was--
1. Peace with God, through the blood of Christ offering atonement for guilt and removing the ground of enmity.
2. Peace within--the ceasing of the conflict of earthly passion through the subjugation of the will.
3. Peace between man and man, between Jew and Gentile, through the breaking down of the middle wall of partition.
II. As the gift was peace, so are the means by which this is assured to mankind.
1. The ministers of the gospel are messengers of peace. They were neither Roman centurions nor Roman legions, but Peter and Christian disciples.
2. The weapons by which this peace is procured are weapons of peace (Galatians 5:22-23)--gentleness, goodness, meekness. In this the mildness of the gospel is contrasted with the stern punitive character of the Mosaic law.
III. This Preacher of peace is Lord of all. His sceptre is one of peace, for those who yield obedience to His law will not fear man (1 Peter 3:13). His sceptre is an almighty sceptre, so that where He bears rule no enemies can hurt (Romans 8:31). (W. Denton, M. A.)
Negotiations for peace
I. Reasons why those are not reconciled to God should desire peace with Him.
1. It is not commendable to be at enmity with any of the wise and good; but when it comes to opposition to God, who in his right mind can do other than bewail it, and desire to see it ended by a gracious peace? Strife against evil, injustice, and tyranny is honourable, but no possible benefit can arise from a conflict in which we are on the wrong side. “Acquaint thyself,” then, “with God, and be at peace, for thereby good shall come unto thee.”
2. The war in which you are engaged is an unjust one. It never ought to have been begun; and what ought never to have been begun had better be dropped as soon as possible. Sin is war against right, love, happiness. To love evil is dishonourable, wrong, unfair, and the conscience of man tells him it is so. What evil hath our Creator done us that we should go to war against Him? Doth He not command His sun to rise upon the evil as well as the good? If He were a cruel tyrant, I could understand your warfare; but the Lord is full of mercy, and His name is love.
3. He who began it has been terribly defeated. Our first parents were the dupe of an older rebel. Apollyon, once an angel, would fain have become equal with his Maker, but he was banished from heaven, and then resorting to this lower region, seduced our race. Little has he gained, by this stratagem, overwhelming has been his defeat. Jesus has led captivity captive. He whose heel was bitten by the old dragon has broken the serpent’s head. Revolt, then, against him. What right has the devil to reign over you? He neither made, preserved, or blessed you; evil only, and that continually, will he do unto you. Strike for your freedom at once, and shake off his galling yoke. The wages of sin will be death; why continue in so unprofitable a service?
4. The force which is brought against you it is utterly impossible for you effectually to resist. It is well when we contemplate warfare to see whether we are equal to the combat. Who with one thousand can meet him that cometh with twenty thousand? Consider ye this, ye that forget God. Can your puny arm hope to rival the right hand of Jehovah? As well might you seek to dry up the Atlantic, or bid Niagara leap up the rock instead of down! Let not the wax contend with the fire, nor the stubble with the flame. A man stands in the way of a steam engine rushing on at express speed; he knows that according to the laws of nature its weight and velocity effectually prevent his staying its course. Do you call it courageous on his part that he stands on the track and defies the iron horse? It is madness, suicide. God will not alter His laws for you. They are just and right; wherefore should He change them? Fire will burn, and if a drunken madcap persists in thrusting his arm between the bars of a furnace, shall fire cease from its nature to secure him immunity from his folly? If a man expose himself to the rush of an avalanche, can he expect the rolling mass to suspend itself in mid air for him? If a mariner will go to sea in a vessel worm-eaten and unseaworthy, will the waves pity the barque? If a man will act contrary to natural laws, he must suffer for it; and it is just so with moral laws--certain results follow from sinful courses of action. Yield, then, to the Divine wisdom which has rightly ordained the consequences of sin. Do not necessitate your own destruction.
5. Any resistance which you may be able to offer will be carried on at a very fearful price. You will have to bear the expenses of the war which you foolishly prolong. Even if you should yield ultimately, you will regret rebellion as long as you live. Even when they are forgiven, your iniquities will be a source of danger; for though God heals the wounds, we shall carry the scars to our graves. And if you should not receive God’s saving mercy, these rebellions are noted against you; and when the Great Judge comes, you shall be made to feel the weight of His terrible hand.
6. Your total defeat is absolutely certain sooner or later. No man ever did set himself against God and prosper for long. Look at Pharaoh. O sinner, thy fate may not be to be drowned in the Red Sea, but worse than that--thou will be shut in forever where hope is shut out.
7. It will be altogether to thine advantage to be at peace with God. It will be for thy present happiness, and thy eternal welfare. Were there no hereafter, it is profitable to have God for our Friend; but when we think of the eternal future, the most superficial consideration suffices to convince us of the necessity of being reconciled to God.
II. The terms on which peace may be negotiated. Wouldst thou have peace? Then learn--
1. The great sine qua non is, that peace be made through an Ambassador nominated of God--namely, His Son. “Preaching peace by Jesus Christ.” There will be no peace between God and any man who despises Christ. Reject that name, and there is no other whereby you can be saved. This Jesus Christ is God, knowing the mind of God, and able to negotiate with Divine authority. But He is also man, and therefore fitted to deal graciously with man. He is fit to be a daysman, and arbitrator, since He has sympathy with thee and equality with God.
2. The great difficulty is put away which might have prevented peace, for the justice of God which thou hast provoked has been satisfied by Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Jesus has made recompense for the injury done by human sin. God asks no price of thee. If thou hadst the wealth of the Indies, the Lord would despise such a bribe. He asks no suffering from thee. It would be no satisfaction to Him to see thee suffer, for He delights in happiness. Neither does He ask thee to achieve merits. Thou couldst not if He should demand it. God, therefore, graciously tells thee that He is full of mercy, delighting to forgive; and all He asks of thee is to trust unfeignedly in His only-begotten Son. Then down with thy weapons of rebellion; confess that thou hast erred. Now, is this hard? Nay, man, look to the Cross, and hate thy sin; for sin nailed the Well-beloved to the tree.
III. The claim which ought to be urged wherever the gospel is preached. “He is Lord of all.” This means--
1. That Jesus Christ, who died on Calvary, is Lord of all mankind. Because Christ has “power over all flesh,” we preach the gospel to all flesh. You are not ruled so much by the iron sceptre of an absolute God as by the silver sceptre of the Mediator. “Kiss the Son lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.”
2. If Christ be Lord of all, then I may with safety rely upon Him. Oh, then, trust Him, for all power is His. He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins.
3. Because Jesus is Lord, I pray you to yield Him reverence and serve Him. He is your liege Lord and sovereign. History tells us that the Welsh could not bear the yoke of an English king, but wanted a native prince; and therefore their English conqueror brought before them his own son, born in their own principality, and they accepted him as Prince of Wales. God reigneth over us, but that we may love His reign He has anointed His own Son our own Elder Brother, King of kings and Lord of lords.
4. Be it also known that Jesus the Saviour must be received as Lord in the souls of those whom He redeems. You must obey Him, or your trust is hypocrisy. If we trust a physician we follow his prescriptions; if we trust a guide we follow his directions; and if we fully rely on Jesus, we obey His gracious commands. The faith which saves is a faith which produces a change of life, and subdues the soul to obedience to the Lord.
5. I do not put this to you as a matter of choice; I demand of you that you obey Him, and receive Him as the Christ of God. Do you refuse the summons that I give you now as His officer tonight? Then take heed what you do, for as the Lord liveth you shall answer for this in the great day of His appearing. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Peace through Christ
When the Romans by conquest might have given law to the Grecians at Corinth, in the solemn time of the Isthmian games, their general by a herald unexpectedly proclaimed freedom to all the cities of Greece. The proclamation at first did so amaze the Grecians that they did not believe it to be true; but when it was proclaimed the second time they gave such a shout that the very birds flying in the air were astonished therewith, and fell dead to the ground. But if you will have a better story, take that of the Jews, who, when at first they heard of Cyrus’s proclamation, and that the Lord thereby had turned the captivity of Sion, they confess that, at the first hearing of it, they were like men that dreamed; but afterwards, their mouths were filled with laughter, and their tongues with singing. Now, the peace that the Grecians and the Jews had was but the peace of a people, or a nation, and a great blessing of God, too; but how much more reason is there that our affections should be strained to the highest pitch of joy and thanks, when we hear of the proclamation of the peace of conscience--that peace which is not of our bodies, but of our souls? (J. Spencer.)
He is Lord of all.--
Lord of all
I. By right, as the Creator.
II. By merit, as the Redeemer.
III. By sift, as the only-begotten of the Father. (St. Bernard.)
Lord of all
I. The claim here made.
1. This claim is made by the whole Bible; notably by Paul (Ephesians 1:21), by Peter (1 Peter 3:21), by John (Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 19:16).
2. Christ is Lord of all, and the telescope has not revealed a star, nor the microscope an atom, that is not subject to Him. The spirits of darkness cannot elude His Lordship, and the spirits of light glory in it. We too are subject to it, whether we will or no. But Christ wills to connect us with Himself by other ties than that of His irresistible control. He wants us to choose to be bound to Him by ties of faith and love, and then we shall delight to follow Him, and find the most perfect union with Him.
3. If you reject this claim, whom will you serve? Self? You cannot make a worse choice.
(1) Put the reins in the hands of your senses, and you know whither they will drive you.
(2) You will fare no better, though more respectably, if you bow your neck to covetousness--the ambition to be rich.
(3) The love of applause and honour is only less injurious; it may inspire in soldiers heroism, but it substitutes man’s judgment for God’s law and conscience.
(4) The love of power is just as bad a master. See what it made of Alexander and Napoleon!
II. What yielding to this claim will do in and for you.
1. It will bring you to your knees in humble acknowledgment of your guilt, and in grateful recognition of God’s love in offering reconciliation. Christ does not come suing your heart and service as blameless. You are “His own,” but you have not acted as His own. He finds you in a state of rebellion, and the first word He speaks to you is “Repent.” It was by the way of the Cross that Jesus went to the throne, and you must go the same way.
2. It will place you under a law the most beneficent and pure; one which will make your heart and life unselfish. It will not make a man in any sense effeminate, but will inspire manliness with grace.
3. It will bring you aids and influences without which you will find yourselves unable to overcome the evil or attain the good. The road is a difficult and perilous one, and you have neither the wisdom nor the strength to avoid the dangers or to overcome the hardships. It should be good news that Christ gives both.
III. What have you to object to this claim?
1. You want to be left alone and not be troubled. Is this manly? Happily for you, you don’t act on this principle elsewhere. When you are in want of a situation, you search for one till you find it. You go to work at the set hour, and keep at it till it is finished. How, then, can you suppose that it will be well with you in the higher concerns of your soul, if you fold your arms and commit yourselves to the care of chance? The ship, if left to itself, will founder; the soul, how can it escape destruction if left to drift where it may?
2. The rule of Christ is too exacting and too wide. But what would you think of a law which would make purity, truth, and honesty contingent on circumstances? Christ demands the whole of your being, that He may bless body and soul to all eternity, and prohibits all compromise with sin because sin is everlasting ruin. (J. Kennedy, D. D.)
Jesus Lord of all
I. What? “Lord.”
1. Jehovah, demanding our worship. Jesus claims Divine honours, and His servants gladly render them.
2. Sovereign, demanding our homage, loyalty to His throne, pride in His name; zeal, valour, and activity in the extension of His realm.
3. Master, demanding our service. A good subject has not only to defend his sovereign’s dominions in war, but to build up their prosperity by persevering industry. Our work is to grow in grace and to promote that growth in our fellow Christians.
II. What of? “All.”
1. In the widest sense, of all creation, from the most colossal world down to the minutest molecule. All matter, and all the laws by which He permits matter to be influenced, are His, and He does with them according to the pleasure of His will.
2. In a narrower sense, of all created intelligences. He is Lord of angels, who obey Him willingly; of devils, who obey Him unwillingly; of men, who are divided into two classes--
(1) Those who disobey Him, but whose disobedience is overruled to serve His purposes.
(2) Those who gladly obey Him, and find in their obedience an exceeding great reward.
III. By what right?
1. An original right, as God. “All souls are mine.”
2. A filial right, as Son of God. “Heir of all things.” “All power is given unto Me.”
3. A redemptive right, as Saviour. “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.”
4. A victorious right, as Conqueror.
5. A donative right, by the glad surrender of the will of those constrained by His love. (J. W. Burn.)