Acts 10 and 13: Who Is Jesus? The Heart of the Gospel

Introduction

"Lord, what am I going to say? What are you going to give me to say?" Before an evangelistic meeting, the EMR preacher (Assemblée de Dieu de Montpellier Richter) admits that preparation sometimes feels like a blank page. So he prays, and God gives a thought and a direction.

The title of his message is just four words: "Who is Jesus?" He is also speaking to the brothers and sisters who talk about Jesus with their neighbors and wonder where to start, what is good to say, and what is better to avoid.

Reading the book of Acts, he noticed that in Acts 10 Peter speaks about Jesus very clearly, and that in Acts 13 Paul follows the same progression. "We often want to do a lot, but it is enough to get to the essential: what God has done for us in our lives."

Message Outline

1. God Rejects No One

Peter opens his mouth: "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35).
This verse matters for anyone who thinks: "I have been a certain kind of person in my life, God won't accept me, God won't be able to forgive me." God shows no favoritism, and he rejects no one.
The preacher points out a nuance: the text does not say that the one who works righteousness is saved. It says that he is acceptable to God.

2. The Word Made Flesh, Lord of All

In verse 36, God "sent the word" by proclaiming peace through Jesus Christ. The preacher connects this verse to John 1:1-4: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And to verse 14: "The Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth."
Jesus came as a man, as a servant, on the earth of men. He is the Word of God sent to enlighten us. He is the light.
Jesus is "Lord of all": he has universal authority, over Jews as well as over Gentiles and unbelievers. Whether one believes or not changes nothing about who he is.
But the question becomes personal: "Is Jesus your Savior?" One day, you have to make the decision to say: "Jesus, be my Lord, but be my Savior too."
"You know what happened," says Peter in verse 37. Today too, many know about the coming of Jesus, his miracles, his healings, his crucifixion. "But knowing is not enough. We have to go much further than knowing."
John the Baptist, who preached a baptism of repentance, said of Jesus: "I am not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandal" (John 1:27).

3. Anointed with the Holy Spirit, Put to Death and Raised

In verse 38, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. The preacher is not speaking here about the conception of Jesus, but about his baptism, when the Spirit of God came down on him like a dove (Matthew 3:16). That is where his ministry begins.
His whole mission was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. When he healed and worked miracles, the Spirit was at work in him. "That is who Jesus is: he is powerful and victorious."
Jesus was put to death although he was innocent, hung on a tree, nailed to a cross. He had said it: no one takes his life from him, he lays it down of his own accord (John 10:18). "If he had decided to avoid Golgotha and the cross, we would not be here tonight. There would be no solution for our lives."
But verse 40 is full of hope: God raised him up on the third day. Jesus conquered death and appeared to witnesses, who even ate and drank with him. The preacher recalls the meals of the Risen One with his disciples, which prove that he was truly alive: in Luke 24:42-43, Jesus eats fish in front of them, and in John 21:9, he is the one who prepared fish on a charcoal fire for them.
"Jesus is still alive today, seated at the right hand of the Father. He is not dead. He is not far. He hears us."

4. The Mission, the Judgment and Forgiveness

Jesus commanded us to proclaim the Gospel to the people (verse 42). "That is why I am here tonight." Talking about Jesus, about what he has done to heal our hearts, take care of our lives and prepare our future, is the mission of every Christian.
Jesus is also the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. He is the only judge.
Verse 43 is "magnificent": "everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins through his name." It is the culmination of Peter's progression.
Some tell themselves: "I'm a good person, I don't do any harm around me." But one day you realize that you are a sinner, far from God, lost, and you decide to come back to him. "Everyone" means every person in the room, every person who hears the Gospel.

5. Paul Follows the Same Path in Acts 13

Paul stands up and says: "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen!" (Acts 13:16). The preacher takes up the call: Christians who have already received Jesus, listen. And you who have not yet experienced your conversion but who fear God, this message is for you.
"From this man's seed, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, according to his promise" (verse 23). "It is important to use the words, the names. Jesus is the only Savior. I am not ashamed to talk about Jesus."
Paul goes back to Abraham and David to explain where Jesus comes from. He adapts to his listeners, just as he says he has become all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:22). Then, gently, he gets to the essential: the death of Jesus, his resurrection, and the fact that he alone saves and forgives sins.
In verse 27, Jesus is not recognized, and he is condemned. "I believe that today we are living exactly the same thing." People know his name without really knowing him and without seeking to know him. Around us we hear: "It's not for me," "It's for the weak," "They have nothing to do with their lives, so they cling to a religion."
The preacher mentions a survey, perhaps an American one, according to which very few people read their Bible, around 10%. "We need to wake up." The Word is our food: without it, we grow spiritually weak. "I'm not throwing stones, this is not a judgment."

6. Everything That Was Written Has Been Fulfilled

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers found nothing in him worthy of death (verse 28). Pilate himself will say: "I find no basis for a charge against this man" (Luke 23:4). Yet Jesus was crucified because of the voice of the crowd. "Fortunately for me, fortunately for you."
Paul repeats that everything happened according to what was written. To anyone who would speak of coincidence, the preacher answers with Psalm 22, written about a thousand years earlier: "They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all of my bones. [...] They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing" (Psalm 22:16-18). The hands and feet of Jesus were pierced, none of his bones was broken, and lots were cast for his clothes.
Isaiah, six to seven hundred years earlier, speaks of the despised and rejected servant, "as a lamb that is led to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). The expression is well chosen: even before the cross, Jesus was struck, beaten, scourged. "And Jesus said nothing, for you, for me." The same passage links his tomb with the rich (Isaiah 53:9), which we find again in Matthew.
Paul also quotes Psalm 2:7: "You are my Son. Today I have become your father." Jesus is the Son of God, sent to fulfill the plan of salvation for your life and mine. "The Word of God is a treasure, a living book."
Finally, Psalm 16:10: "nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption." Corruption is the decomposition of the body. David, a key figure in God's plan, served in his time, then he died and returned to dust. "Only Christ did not see corruption."

7. Forgiveness, Grace and Repentance

Paul ends exactly like Peter: "through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins" (Acts 13:38). "There is only one solution, one way, and it is the way of Jesus. Neither you, nor your behavior, nor money can save you."
"By him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you couldn't be justified by the law of Moses" (verse 39). The law is good, and Jesus did not abolish the rules. But salvation is available by grace, not by rules.
After understanding who Jesus is and what he endured, one essential step remains: repentance. Coming back to Christ and telling him: "Jesus, forgive me, I am far away, I am a sinner."
In conclusion, the preacher sums up the Gospel: God's plan announced from the beginning by the prophets, the Word made flesh, Jesus rejected, condemned, crucified, raised and seated at the right hand of God. And the next step: "Jesus is coming back for us."
The Gospel is good news, and it is also a choice: to believe or to refuse, to repent and receive forgiveness or to refuse everything. "He is the Messiah, there is no other. He is the Savior, there is no other."
The message ends with an appeal, both to the one who is hearing the Gospel for the first time and to the one who has drifted away and wants to return: "It is the most beautiful step backward: retracing your steps to go back to Jesus." He encourages those who raised their hand not to walk alone, to ask their questions and to meet a pastor.

Key Takeaways

God shows no favoritism: whatever your past, he does not reject you.
Jesus is Lord of all, but receiving him as Savior is a personal decision. Knowing his story is not enough.
To proclaim the Gospel, get to the essential like Peter and Paul: who Jesus is, his death, his resurrection, forgiveness of sins and repentance.
The Scriptures announced the sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus centuries in advance.
There is only one way: we are not justified by the law or by our efforts, but by grace, by believing in Jesus.

Personal Application

Can you say today: "Jesus is my Lord and my Savior"? If that is not yet the case, what is holding you back?
Is there a voice in you that says: "God won't be able to forgive me"? What does Acts 10:34 answer it?
Do you know Jesus, or only his name? What place does reading the Bible have in your life this week?
If you had to explain to a neighbor who Jesus is, where would you start, and would you go as far as forgiveness and repentance?
If you have drifted away from God, what concrete step can you take to come back, and whom can you ask for help so that you do not walk alone?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Peter and Paul answer to the question "Who is Jesus?"

In Acts 10 and in Acts 13, Peter and then Paul follow the same progression: Jesus is the Word made flesh, the Lord of all, anointed with the Holy Spirit. He was put to death although he was innocent, God raised him on the third day, and everyone who believes in him receives remission of sins through his name.

Is it enough to know Jesus in order to be saved?

No. The preacher points out that many people know who Jesus is, his miracles, his crucifixion. But knowing is not enough. Jesus is Lord of all, but receiving him as Savior is a personal choice, which goes through repentance: coming back to him and asking for his forgiveness.

Why does Paul say that Jesus did not see corruption?

In Acts 13, Paul quotes Psalm 16: "You will not allow your Holy One to see corruption." David, after serving God's purpose, died and saw corruption, that is, the decomposition of the body. Jesus, for his part, did not return to dust: God raised him.