"Essentials" Acts 10:34-43 (3-31-19)
Overview
Six Essentials for Witnessing to Jesus Christ
In Acts 10:34-43, Peter delivers what may be his shortest recorded sermon—roughly a minute in length—yet it is densely packed with the core content of the Christian witness. Standing in the house of Cornelius, the once-Orthodox Jew now declares that "God shows no partiality" and that the gospel reaches both Jew and Gentile. The "fear" of God Peter describes is not terror, but awe and reverence born of faith—faith that is, as Luther reminds us, "a busy and active thing" producing works that flow from it rather than works that earn salvation. With this brief porch built, Peter heads straight into the house: six essentials every Christian should know when bearing witness to Christ.
1. Peace. Peter announces "peace by Jesus Christ" (v. 36). Sin has erected a wall between holy God and sinful humanity. As Romans 5:10 reminds us, "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son." Witness begins by naming our deepest need—peace with God.
2. Messiah. Peter speaks of how "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" (v. 38), echoing Isaiah 61:1, which Jesus applied to Himself. Notice what Peter does not lead with: the teachings of Jesus. Start with Jesus' identity—God in the flesh, the Anointed One. If we begin with His teachings, He becomes merely a moral philosopher. The teachings come later; identity comes first.
3. Cross. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree" (v. 39). Colossians 1:20 explains the meaning: God reconciled all things to Himself "by making peace through the blood of his cross." On the cross, the great exchange takes place—Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness.
4. Resurrection. "God raised him on the third day" (v. 40). Peter is emphatic that the witnesses "ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead"—a literal, bodily resurrection, not merely the persistence of His memory or movement. As 1 Corinthians 15:17 declares, "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." The empty tomb validates that the sacrifice for sin has been accepted.
5. Judgment. Jesus is "the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead" (v. 42). Acts 17:31 confirms that God "has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness." Every person will stand before Christ—either clothed in His righteousness through faith, or exposed in the nakedness of their own sin.
6. Forgiveness. "Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name" (v. 43). This is the promise echoed in Acts 2:38—repentance, baptism, the washing away of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, marking us as God's children.
Pastoral Application
We live in days that resemble the famine described in Amos 8:11—"not a famine of bread… but of hearing the words of the LORD." Yet Peter's compact sermon shows that faithful witness need not be elaborate or lengthy. Peace, Messiah, Cross, Resurrection, Judgment, Forgiveness—these are the bones of the gospel, simple enough that even a child can speak them to a friend, weighty enough to carry the eternal destiny of every hearer. Who is the "Cilia" in your life waiting to hear who Jesus is? You know what to say.
Transcript
Would you open your Bible, please, with me to the 10th chapter of the Book of Acts? 0s
The sermon, the sermon. The proclamation of the anerrant and an enthelable word of 6s
mighty God. As we've studied, the sermon is not a motivational talk. The sermon is not 16s
the comedian's monologue. The sermon is not the musings of the preacher or an editorial or group therapy. 29s
The sermon is the proclamation of the anerrant and an enthelable word of all mighty God. 42s
We need sermons. We need sermons. Why the eighth chapter of the Book of Amos? It says this, 57s
that there will be a famine, not of bread or a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord. 66s
A famine in association with regard to the hearing of the word of the Lord. And I think one 76s
can certainly make the case that the days that we live in are the days of famine with regard to the 84s
word. That's why it is so wonderful. It is so wonderful. When we're studying holy scripture, 95s
we get these examples of sermons that rise up. I think specifically with regard to Peter. 106s
Just as what we have studied so far in the Book of Acts, Peter gives an incredible sermon in Acts 115s
2 in association with the day of pentacost. Then he moved into Acts 3 and there's Peter's sermon 121s
in Solomon's protocol. In Acts 4, you have his sermon to the Sanhedrin. In Acts 5, 128s
another sermon to the Sanhedrin. And then one comes to the 10th chapter of the Book of Acts. 136s
And once again, there is the sermon that comes from the lips of Peter. 144s
I read recently that a pastor set in modern day history, the Guinness Book of World Records, 155s
for the longest preached continuous sermon. 53 hours and 18 minutes. I have no compulsion to try and 163s
he said he got very comfortable eating in front of his congregation that he serves. 179s
No thank you. No thank you. But when you compare 53 hours and 18 minutes, the longest 185s
sermon, according to Guinness. And when you compare it to Peter's sermon in the 10th chapter, 192s
Peter's sermon is probably a minute in length. It's probably a minute in length. 199s
And it is so packed and it is so rich and it has such a gravitas to it that while short, 208s
it goes a long way for the people of God. I like to think that if Peter needed to get to his 217s
administrative team a title for the sermon, so the bulletins could be run. I like to think 228s
that Peter's title for his sermon was essential. Essentials. Because what we have in this glorious 236s
one minute sermon by Peter, are six essentials for witnessing to the Lord Jesus Christ. One minute 248s
six essentials for a witness to the Lord Jesus Christ. So let's recap here. Let's 259s
let's set the stage. Remember, visions have been given. Vision has been given to Cornelius. 268s
Vision's have a vision has been given to Peter. God has arranged for these two to meet. 273s
God is transforming the thinking of the Orthodox Jew Peter to understand that the 279s
Jew, but it is also for the Gentile also. The Orthodox Jew believes that in order to be saved, 288s
you had to become a Jew. So this is radical transformation in the mind of Peter. 297s
He has brought this group together as we have studied last week. He has brought this group together 306s
around the Word of God and now comes time for Peter's sermon. The first two verses of his sermon 312s
is an introduction. And I'm reminded of the preaching of Luther and Calvin to great reformers, of course. 326s
Luther really didn't spend too much time on the introduction to his sermon. He really didn't. 337s
He would announce the text. He would review what they had studied before. Remember, he was an 342s
expositional preacher. In other words, Luther just preached through entire books at the time. Just 348s
like what we're doing in the book of Acts, he just go verse by verse and he just keep preaching 353s
until you're done. Then you go to another book. That's expositional preaching. He's verse by verse here. 357s
So Luther would just say, this is where we were. This is what happened. Here's the main theme 364s
off he'd go. They say, with regard to Luther's preaching, that his introduction, he would just simply 370s
build the porch. He didn't want to spend too much time on the porch. He wanted to get to the house 375s
and build the house. Calvin was the same way. Calvin was incredibly brief. In fact, he said, 380s
I have a natural fun for brevity. And then he would go on and preach for an hour. 387s
But you see, he was brief in his introduction because there was so much to get to. 395s
And so he would simply say, this is the text we're preaching on. He give a statement that 400s
focuses on the main point of the text and off he'd go. Same thing with Peter here. Same thing. 404s
God is pulled together this group. The word of God is going to go fourth. Peter starts his 411s
sermon and the first two verses, very brief and then off he's going to go. Look at me, please. 419s
At verse 34 of chapter 10, then Peter began to speak to them. I truly understand that God 428s
shows no partiality. You know when you say, oh, I understand now. Or I get it. I get it. That's what 440s
God has transformed his thinking with regard to the Gentile. He's taken this Orthodox Jew 459s
and has instructed this Orthodox Jew saying that the salvation one by Jesus Christ on the cross 466s
is more than just for the Jew. It's for all people. And so Peter starts his introduction by saying, 472s
I get this now. I get it. He then goes on. But in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what 481s
is right is acceptable to him. That word fear there, that is all and reverence in association with faith. 493s
That's not tear of God. It's all and reverence with regard to God. So everyone who has this 505s
all and reverence which is simply an expression of faith and then when he says, and does what is right 514s
that is simply the works that come forward from faith. And we'll go through said, faith is an 521s
active and a busy thing. These are not works that redeem us. No, these are works that are the 529s
expression of faith. That where there is faith, faith can't help itself under the operation of the 538s
spirit to produce works. So Peter in his introduction, he says, I get this now. It's not just for 547s
you, it's for Gentile and then he references all and reverence born of faith. He references 555s
that which is right, which is born of faith. He's built the porch and now he goes right for the house. 561s
Right for the house. Six essentials to witness to the Lord Jesus. Here's the first one. 573s
Peace. Peace. 588s
Look at me, please, at verse 36. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, 590s
preaching peace by Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, 598s
the Jew was the first one to receive the message about the Messiah. And what's the message? 607s
You know the message you sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ. He's Lord of 618s
all. In other words, not just you, but also Gentile. The message then centers in peace. As we witness 626s
the gospel of Jesus Christ to other, at the core of the need for the gospel is our need for peace. 634s
I'll just have a Bible describes us in Romans 5. It says, while we were enemies, we were reconciled 644s
to God through the death of his son. If we are enemies toward God, what we need to have then is 652s
peace with God. Scripture reveals to us that sin is that incredible wall. It is that incredible 661s
gulf that separates us from the holiness of God. God is holy and we are not and we are separated 670s
by him because of sin. So when we witness to people with regard to Jesus Christ, 680s
start talking about peace and the need for it. We need to be right with God. And so how do we enter into a 688s
peace relationship with God when he is holy and we are not the very first essential with regard to 698s
witnessing about the Lord Jesus Christ is to talk about the need for peace with him. Peace. 707s
Here's number two. Messiah. Messiah. Look at verse 37. That message spread throughout 716s
Judea beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth 728s
with the Holy Spirit and with power, how he went about doing good and healing all who were 738s
oppressed by the devil for God was with him. In Isaiah the sixty first chapter it says this. 747s
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me. Jesus Christ applied 757s
to Isaiah sixty one to himself. Okay crawling of the sandals of the Jew in ancient day. 765s
When you talked about the anointed one you were talking about the Messiah. So when Jesus comes along 771s
and says that prophecy in Isaiah sixty one talks about the anointed the Messiah that's me. That's me. 778s
We are in need of peace and we have peace through the Messiah the Lord Jesus Christ. As we witness 788s
then to people about Jesus Christ we start with the need for peace. Secondly we go right to the Messiah. 797s
Notice this. Notice what is not included here with regard to Jesus Christ. It talks about his 804s
healings. Doesn't that talk to somebody doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil? 812s
Notice it doesn't mention his teachings here. Doesn't. That's instructive for us. 818s
As you're witnessing to people about the Lord Jesus Christ don't start with the teachings of Jesus. 825s
Are they important? Of course they are. Jesus has God in the flesh but don't start with the 832s
start with his identity. He's a see if you start with the teachings then Jesus simply becomes 839s
associated with a great teacher that Jesus offers some kind of philosophy to live by or here 845s
the teachings of this Jesus so you can make yourself right before God. Now teachings will come 853s
start first with the identity of who Jesus is. We are a people in need of peace because peace with 859s
God is broken because of sin but we have a Messiah and his name is Jesus. God in the flesh start there 867s
and when the person understands who Jesus is then the teachings can come later. 881s
First essential peace. Second essential Messiah. Third essential cross. Good verse 39. 890s
We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death 902s
by hanging him on a tree. So we're native peace. The Messiah, his name is Jesus, comes 909s
and he goes to the cross. Why do you go to the cross? Scripture tells us in Colossians the first chapter 920s
and through him, Jesus, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things whether on earth or in 928s
heaven by making peace through the blood of his cross. Do you hear it? What's the need? 939s
The need is peace. How is peace affected? It's affected through the cross who died on the cross. 948s
The Messiah, what's his name? Jesus. When Jesus dies on the cross he takes the sin of the entire world upon 956s
the wrath for God for sin is placed upon the sun, the spotless lamb of God. God takes the 964s
punishment that should have fallen upon us. The Lord Jesus takes it upon himself. He pays our sin 973s
dead. The great exchange then. Jesus takes our sin and gives to us his righteousness. 982s
The essentials one start with peace. What's the second one? Messiah, what's the third one? 993s
Cross. Guess what the fourth one is? Resurrection. Notice in this one minute sermon, 998s
the very next verse verse 40, but God raised him on the third day, 1006s
allowed him to appear not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who 1015s
ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. Sometimes when somebody dies you'll hear people say 1023s
they live on in our memories or their work lives on after them and they will associate 1037s
eternal life with simply the extension of the person's work going on or the memory that one carries. 1050s
What's emphasized here? We ate with him and we drank with him. That is a literal physical 1058s
bodily resurrection. There's none of this. The spirit of the movement continues on forever, 1069s
even though the leader has died. There's none of that. That's we have beheld with our own eyes, 1079s
the physically resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. First Corinthians 15th chapter says, 1086s
if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you're still in your sins. 1094s
We need peace. The Messiah has come. His name is Jesus. The Messiah went to the cross to bear our 1103s
death and then on the third day the Messiah was raised from the dead. That's the validation 1110s
that the sacrifice for sin had been accepted. If Jesus was not raised then the sacrifice hasn't been 1116s
accepted then our faith is futile. He was the fifth essential. I'll give you a hint. 1125s
In a minute we're going to confess the great creed and we're going to say that he will come again to 1137s
what? Judge the living in the dead. What's the fifth? We're to speak here, go. Go to 1145s
write the judgment. Very next verse please, verse 42. He commanded us to preach to the people and 1153s
testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 1162s
Acts 17 says, that God has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness. 1171s
By a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising 1179s
him from the dead. So who is he talking about? Do I have my Jesus? Every man, woman and child 1187s
that ever lived, that his living and if the Lord continues to carry on his second coming will live on 1195s
after us every man, woman and child will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ on judgment day. 1203s
And we will either stand cloaked in the righteous garment that is ours through the faith that he 1212s
gives us in the Lord Jesus Christ, through the victory that has been won on the cross in the empty tomb 1217s
or we will stand in the nakedness of our own sin before the judge. 1222s
As I had Jesus cross resurrection, judgment and what's his last point? For goodness. 1233s
Look when they please, verse 43, all the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in 1242s
receives forgiveness of sins through his name. And what we study in Acts 2, repent and be baptized 1253s
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven and you will receive 1262s
the gift of the Holy Spirit. God and His grace comes in the waters of baptism washing us 1269s
in His promises washing us giving us, indeed, forgiveness of sins, faith, eternal life, 1277s
the Holy Spirit incorporating us as his children in the family. Peter gives the sixth essential 1287s
forgiveness that is ours through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1297s
Peter's sermon is not 53 hours and 18 minutes. It's one minute, one minute. And in that one minute 1307s
he gives the sixth essentials for witness. 1321s
Reminded of story that Donald Deffner says, Deffner says that there was a person in the congregation, 1332s
little guy, about six or seven years old. His name was Billy. Billy was a was a magnet for a 1341s
chief. He hardly ever went to church, but when he did, it was just kind of apparent that Billy was 1352s
in the house of the Lord. He'd go to Sunday School occasionally. One day there was an knock on the door. 1362s
Deffner answers the door and there is Billy standing there. Now, Deffner says he knows 1372s
from the house that Billy lives in. So he knows that he shouldn't be crossing those roads 1381s
being six or seven. He shouldn't have been doing that. But there he is standing there and he's 1386s
holding hands with another six or seven year old, little girl. The Deffner says, well, 1391s
who Jesus is? So I brought her here so you could tell her. Deffner says, why don't you come on in? 1410s
So the little couple sit on the couch there and their feet are kind of just dangling. 1421s
You know, obviously they don't reach the ground and then Deffner did something incredibly wise. 1427s
He turned to Billy and he said, Billy, why don't you tell Silia about Jesus? 1434s
But it's okay. So he turns to his little girlfriend and he says, Silia, 1446s
Jesus was really, really, really nice. He came and he did all kinds of good things. He was healing 1456s
people and all kinds of good things. But people hated him. And so they put him on a cross and killed it. 1468s
And Silia says, well, that's not good. That's not fair. That's not right. 1480s
Billy says, open way to you. Jesus then came out of the tomb alive. He went to heaven 1488s
and one day he's going to come back again so that he takes all believers in him to heaven. 1500s
Silia goes, that's wonderful Billy. That's wonderful. 1515s
Diffner's listening to this and he thinks to himself, if Billy can do this, we all can do this. 1523s
Who's your Silia? 1547s
Six essentials. 1554s
Took Peter less than a minute. 1559s
We know what to say. We know 1564s
what to say. 1572s