ATTITUDES FROM THE CONVERSION OF CORNELIUS

From Jim Sasser and Reworked by David Riggs

Intro.
   A. There have been many sermons preached about Cornelius.
      1. Usually, such sermons take into consideration his goodness;
         he was devout, prayed, gave alms, etc.
      2. And, it is shown that, in spite of all of these things, he  
         was still lost.
         a. Therefore, goodness alone will not save anyone.
      3. In this study of Cornelius, we want to use a different
         approach.
         a. Let's look at the attitudes involved in this account.

I. FIRST OF ALL, THERE ARE THREE MIRACLES, ALL OF WHICH HAVE TO DO   
   WITH CHANGING ATTITUDES.
   A. The first miracle was to change the attitude of Cornelius. Acts
      10:3-6
      1. He had to realize that even though he was a "good" man, he
         was still seriously lacking.
         a. He had to hear "words" by which he could be saved.
            Acts 11:13-14
      2. A very real problem today is that people think they are
         already saved when they are not.
         a. There won't be an angel sent to them as was done for
            Cornelius.
         b. The gospel is the only means by which their thinking can
            be changed.
   B. The second miracle involved the attitude of Peter. His attitude
      toward the Gentiles had to be changed. Acts 10:9-16
      1. Peter later realized from the vision that he was not to call
         any "man" common or unclean. Acts 10:28
      2. Notice his words in Acts 10:34-35.
   C. The third miracle (the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit) changed 
      the attitude of those six Jewish brethren who went with Peter, 
      and later the Jews at Jerusalem. Acts 10:36-48
      1. Acts 11:18 shows clearly why God sent the Holy Spirit upon
         Cornelius and his household - to show that the Gentiles were
         now granted repentance to life.
         a. They could now be accepted into the kingdom, and
            could now receive the blessings of the New Covenant.
      2. Now, having looked at these things, we are ready to learn
         some lessons on attitudes from Cornelius.

II. CORNELIUS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE PREACHER.
   A. "As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his
      feet and worshiped him." Acts 10:25.
      1. Obviously, Cornelius goes too far, and is rebuked by Peter.
         a. However, Cornelius was trying to show respect for
            God's messenger.
         b. Some have shown great disrespect for God's
            messengers. Jer. 38:6; Matt. 23:32-36
      2. The importance of Peter was not to be found in his person,
         but in his message.
         a. Indeed, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach
            the gospel of peace..." Rom. 10:15
            (1) And so it is today with gospel preachers.
            (2) We need to have a good attitude toward any true
                messengers of God's word.
      3. Let's read the message given by Peter at this time. Acts
         10:34-43

III. LET CONSIDER CORNELIUS' HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE WORD OF GOD.
   A. Cornelius' attitude toward the word of God can be seen in Acts
      10:33.
      1. He and the others wanted to hear what God had
         commanded.
         a. There would be no doubt that when Cornelius learned
            what to do, he did it immediately. Acts 10:48
         b. Baptism in the "name of the Lord" is "for the remission
            of sins." Acts 2:38
   B. Concerning the word of God, look at this passage: 1 Thess. 2:13
      1. The word can do marvelous things (effectively work) within
         us. Psalm 19:7-11
      2. The word of God will judge us in the last day. Rev. 20:12
         a. All the dead will be judged by the Scriptures according
            to their works.
         b. The Bible will read then, just as it does now.
      3. The all-important question for us is: "Are we following the
         word of God?"
         a. Let us have a humble, submissive attitude toward God's
            holy word.

IV. HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD HIS FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.
   A. Cornelius had the proper attitude toward the salvation of his
      friends and relatives. Acts 10:24,27,33
      1. We can imagine how he told his friends and relatives
         regarding the angel who appeared to him and told him to
         send for a man who would tell them how to be saved.
         a. He would add, "That man is on his way here now. Come
            and hear him!"
         b. We, too, are to compel our friends and relatives to hear
            the precious words of life. Luke 14:23
            (1) The word "compel" means "to use strong persuasion."
            (2) There is no more important work on the face of the
                earth than to save our own souls, and the souls of
                others.
         c. There is a story of a Christian who distributed tracts   
            for many years on a street corner. Finally, seeing no    
            visible results, he gave up. When he returned to the same
            spot two years later, he saw another individual handing  
            out gospel leaflets as he had done. Striking up a
            conversation, he discovered that the man had become a
            Christian through a tract given him on that corner about
            two years earlier. The convert added, "Many times I've
            come back here to find that earnest worker and thank
            him, but he never returned. I decided he must have died,
            and so I've taken his place!" To make a long story short,
            there are now two Christians handing out tracts on that
            street corner.
            (1) Let us preach the word in season and out of season
                with all longsuffering and teaching. 1 Pet. 3:15; 2
                Tim. 2:2; Prov. 11:30
         d. The attitude of some brethren toward personal work
            brings to mind the story of two salesman who in the
            1800's were sent from this country on separate missions
            to Africa to view the possibilities of selling shoes. One
            salesman wrote back to the company and said, "The
            prospects for selling shoes in this country is absolutely
            no good because everyone goes barefooted." The other
            salesman wrote back and said, "The prospects for selling
            shoes here is fantastic because everyone needs shoes."
            (1) How is your attitude toward personal work? 

Concl.
   A. We can learn lessons from the attitude of Cornelius.
      1. The right attitude toward the messenger, the word itself,
         obedience to the word, and toward his friends and relatives,
         brought spiritual life to Cornelius.
      2. If we develop the same right attitudes in these things, we,
         too, will obtain salvation, both now and in eternity.