Pastor: If you'd remain standing and turn to a copy of the scriptures. We're in Acts chapter 15, going to be looking at verses one through 21 this morning, this morning. Acts 15, verses one through 21 we're in the middle of acts as we're making our way through it. Some would even say that acts 15 is maybe the most important chapter in the book of Acts, so I think that should help us to have particular attention to it and but before we read, read it, let's go to the Lord in prayer, our Father, we thank you for giving us your word that you do indeed speak to us even as we just sung, help us Lord now to receive it as a spiritual food that we need for life. And it's in Jesus's name we pray. Amen.
Pastor: People of God hear God's word for us this morning from Acts chapter 15, beginning in verse one, reading the verse 21 but some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, unless you are circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers when they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them, but some believers who belong to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, it is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the Law of Moses.
Pastor: The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter, and after there had been much debate. Peter stood up and said to them, brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you that by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us, and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear, but we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
Pastor: After they finished speaking, James replied, brothers, listen to me. Simon has now related how God first visited the Gentiles to take them from a people for His name, and with this, the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written. After this, I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David that is fallen. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who makes these things known from of old.
Pastor: Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from what has been strangled and from blood. For from ancient generations, Moses has had it in every city that those who those who proclaim him for he has read every Sabbath in the synagogues, He who has ears, let him hear the Word of God. Please be seated. Imagine you are going to cross a bridge, and the bridge appears solid and sturdy to you, but it has one single flaw. And so you go and you step out on the bridge, trusting it will support you. And when you do that is when you discover the bridge's single flaw. And the bridge's single flaw is that it can hold no weight in a way.
Pastor: That is what our text is about.
Pastor: Man, since the fall, has tried to create various and different bridges to get to God through works and other religions and spirituality, but none of those bridges can hold any weight, and if you venture on them, if you put your trust in them, you will fall not only to the river, but to ever lasting destruction.
Pastor: Bell. And there is one bridge, and only one bridge that has been made by God himself, and that will support and carry all who rest upon it. And that bridge is Christ. That bridge is the grace of Christ alone, we read it, justification is an act of God's free grace, wherein he pardons all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only, only, only it says, For the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, that is externally, given from Christ to you, received by faith alone, that is your only hope, that is anyone's only hope. Is Christ alone? Now the crisis of how one is made right with God, it actually doesn't start here in our text, but as you might guess, it starts all the way back in the garden. You remember Adam and Eve. They disobeyed God. They ate from the tree, they ate the forbidden fruit, and they are guilty of breaking God's commands, aren't they? And they feel their shame, they feel their uncleanliness, they feel the guilt. And what do they do next? They do. They create coverings of fig leaves and attempt to hide their shame and their guilt. But then you might remember, God comes along and provides tunics of animal skins.
Pastor: Well, why does God do that?
Pastor: Because even all the way back in Genesis, he is telling us that for sin to be atoned, for to be covered, blood has to be shed, and the only only, only, only thing or person that is that can bear your sin and blot out your sin and wash it away. Is what?
Pastor: What can wash away my sin?
Pastor: Nothing but being a good person?
Pastor: Is that? What is it? No. What can wash away your sin? Nothing but being spiritual and trying my best. What can wash away your sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Anything added to that is an offense, an insult to the holiness of God through His justice, but also his mercy. Is Christ enough. That's really what this text is about. This is what the text screams out to us, Christ alone. And that's why so many say in all of the book of Acts, this text, this chapter, is at the core of it all, Christ alone. And so we're going to look at it in three ways. We're going to see how the gospel is threatened, but we're going to see how the gospel is defended and how the gospel is then affirmed. First we see just there, in verse one of chapter 15, the gospel is threatened. If you remember the church in Antioch, Syria, it's it's thriving. It's growing by the grace of God, it has the resources that that's able to send Paul and Barnabas on their their first missionary journey.
Pastor: They travel over 1000 miles.
Pastor: They visit various cities, and that they proclaim the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ and people are coming to know the true and living God found in Christ, Paul and Barnabas, right before our text, they have just returned home, back to Antioch. They are reporting on their mission trip and how God has opened up the door to the Gentiles, the door of faith to the Gentiles, those who are once far off have now believed and have been brought near, and the people are rejoicing. The church in Antioch is celebrating. They are grateful to hear what God has been doing now. There are more Gentiles believers than there are Jewish believers now, and the Jerusalem church is no longer the largest and most influential, and that creates a bit of attention for some in the church in Jerusalem, those Gentiles might get a little out of control.
Pastor: So we're told that some come from the Jerusalem, from Jerusalem to the church in Antioch, and before, when they did that, remember they sent Barnabas. Us, and he encouraged them. We are so grateful to see what God's doing over here in Antioch, and Barnabas stays there and he encourages them.
Pastor: But that's not what happens here. Barnabas is pastoring there in Antioch, and he's come back from this mission trip, but now the Jerusalem teachers are coming over, and they are insisting that these Gentile believers observe the Jewish ceremonial law of circumcision.
Pastor: Verse one, certain men, and that is a cue that these are teachers. Certain men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, and they came down from Jerusalem claiming that you have to be circumcised. They're coming from the mother church.
Pastor: But verse 24 we're not looking at there today, next week, verse 24 hints to us that they actually didn't do it with the approval of the apostles. They were part of the faction within the church. Paul will, in fact, call them later in Galatians chapter two, he will call them false brothers. And Paul will also says that these are men who slipped in to spy out our freedom in Christ and bring us into slavery. And here is their message. It was very simple yet deadly. Christ is good for salvation, and salvation is found in Christ. Yes, believe in Christ, and and, and you must be circumcised. You must keep the law. Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved. They are saying, We just can't get rid of what we've been doing the last 1500 years. We can't change that. And that might resonate with some of you who have a difficult time with change.
Pastor: Haven't you heard that in the church? Well, we've just, we've always done it this way. Or you might get stressed out when someone sits in your seat. It's like, I've always sat in this spot, right? We have a hard time with some change. Well, no doubt, so did some of the people in Jerusalem, and I've even talked to some people who refused to leave a church that was apostate and had stopped preaching the gospel a long time ago. And why didn't they leave?
Pastor: Because their grandparents were part of building that church, and it's a beautiful church now with nice stained glass windows, and their grandparents were part of designing that building. How can we leave that? But you see, they're they're just Holding, holding fast to these things that are just traditions and customs of men, and Peter struggled with this too. We know, if you look in Galatians, chapter two, again, I'll read verse 11 through 13. But when Cephas, that is Peter, came to Antioch, and where are we right now? Where was where was Paul and Barnabas doing their mission report, where they returned back to Antioch. So there in Galatians chapter two, it's actually telling us a little bit what's happening here. And when Peter comes to Antioch, I opposed him to his face. This is Paul talking about Peter. Paul opposed Peter to his face, because he stood condemned for being for before certain men came from James. He was eating with Gentiles, but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party and the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. And if you're in a newer church like Antioch, and it's grown out of the church in Jerusalem, and your pastor is Paul. Paul's a very gifted person, but Paul, actually, he's not really been on the scene all that long, and there's still some people that have some uncertainty about Paul and his background. I mean, after all, Paul's done some pretty terrible things. Is he really a changed person? I mean, Has God really worked grace in his life. I mean, he is a murderer. After all, he murdered our friend Stephen. I mean, he's very gifted, but there's still some maybe hesitancy about this guy, Paul. And if you have teachers who have come from the mother church, like Jerusalem to your new church, you might be tempted to listen to them. Imagine some of you who might know Joel thick, if he were to come here.
Pastor: Maybe, if you don't know him, maybe someone else, like RC sproll or Sinclair Ferguson, and they show up here and they tell you something, you would be tempted to receive it, to believe it. You. It would have the weight of authority with it, and that's what we find happening here in the church on Antioch there's some confusion.
Pastor: What are we to believe? What does the Bible teach? And there are false doctrines even now among in the church that are maybe not so obvious. And you hear this kind of language, for example, you might hear people say, God told me, or I feel peace about this. So you know, it must be the right decision, and that's actually a form of mysticism. It confuses personal feelings with divine revelation.
Pastor: It replaces the Bible with self and how I'm feeling. Well, that's, that's wrong. The Bible is the sole authority of God.
Pastor: How about you, young people?
Pastor: Let's manifest something, right?
Pastor: Let's, I'm going to send some positive energy your way. Let's, I'm going to visualize my future, and it's going to happen. Well, that replaces, again, faith in God was safe in self and your capabilities. And what's that Bible verse that says God helps those who helps themselves? Which one was that?
Pastor: Well, you know that's that's another false doctrine. That's Pelagianism. It makes salvation dependent on your effort. Jesus, plus is what's happening here, Jesus plus moral performance, Jesus plus political views, Jesus plus church membership, Jesus plus education, Jesus plus sacrament participation. It's all very sneaky. It's all very subtle, and we have to be on guard. We have to be watching over our hearts. But the moment we add anything to Jesus, we lose everything. I am not very good at math, but I do know that if you times anything by zero, what do you get? Zero? I know that much about math, and that's the same thing with Jesus. Jesus times or plus anything, it's always going to equal zero, nothing, and it does you no good. But Jesus alone equals everything. And this is what the this is what was promised that is yours in Christ. And we heard this even last week from Ezekiel, chapter 36 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanliness and from all your idols. I will cleanse you, and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit, and I will that I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. All those promises are found in Christ alone. So that's the problem. And now we come to it that the gospel is defended.
Pastor: It's under attack, Christ, plus something, anything, it's under attack. Well now it's defended.
Pastor: In verse two, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others who are appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question. So now Paul and Barnabas and some of the other elders, they're going to convene in Jerusalem. And what's happening here? You love it, Presbyterian meeting, that's what's happening. You have these representative elders from other churches. They're all gathering in one central location to resolve this doctrinal dispute, and notice too, there's no new revelation when they show up, they're not going to throw fleeces out. There's no new revelation. They're going to have to figure this out by the word of God. So are we okay? So Paul and Barnabas, they arrive in Jerusalem. They're welcomed by the church, the apostles and elders there, and the meeting starts, and as verse five says, Some stand up during the meeting and again, repeat what we've already heard. It's necessary to circumcise them and and to order them to keep the Law of Moses.
Pastor: Now, what would have happened to the church if Paul and Barnabas simply yielded, you know, for the sake of unity, for civility, right? Can't we just get along?
Pastor: Okay, fine, you guys just you, if you really, if you're really sincere, and that's what you mean, fine. We'll just do our thing here in Antioch, you guys just do your thing there in Jerusalem, right? For the sake of unity, right? What would happen?
Pastor: The gospel would be lost and you would not be saved. You know, I when I was a chaplain, I've still been chaplain, but when I was active duty, i. Remember one Chaplain telling me to not pray in Jesus's name, because if I did, it's it's a little more offensive, and I can win more people with honey rather than vinegar, right? Christ is kind of offensive, isn't he? So maybe not avoid that, and we can. We can actually build the church better and bigger. We'll have bigger buildings. We'll have more people and more money.
Pastor: Isn't that what how we know if God has blessed us? Isn't that what the Church wants? But you know, those are the killer bees of the church, any church that measures itself on how many people you have, or how big your building is, or how big your budget is, is doomed to fail.
Pastor: How should we measure faithfulness to the Word of God, and God will give the increase we just are sowing, sowing the Word of God. Now, we are told they debate the matter at some time, and now Peter gets the floor to speak. Remember, Peter has stumbled here. Paul has rebuked him. He receives it though he repents and he moves on. He he doesn't complain about Paul in his speech, who probably is not the easiest to work with.
Pastor: I'm sure if you ask John Mark, that he would say the same. But Peter stands up and says, Brothers, you know that in the early days, God made a choice among you that, by my mouth, the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And this is Peter, recalling just a little bit earlier on in Acts God called Peter. You're going to go to Cornelius, you're going to go to this Gentile and you're going to meet with a whole bunch of other Gentiles, and you're going to give them the gospel.
Pastor: And God, who knows the heart verse eight, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us, and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Pastor: God gave them the Holy Spirit, he said. God gave them new hearts, just like us. No distinction. That's Peter's message. Remember, Jesus gave the Parable of the Vineyard.
Pastor: Some come in early, some come in late, but they all get paid the same. And that's essentially what Peter is saying. The same thing is they've been brought in too, maybe a little bit later than we are, but they've been brought in all the same and have been given the same reward, that is the Holy Spirit. They've been given new hearts. There's no distinction. Ephesians, two tells us that the dividing wall has been torn down between us and even the summary, cleansed hearts by faith. That's what they have now, cleansed hearts by faith. Then Peter asks the question that silences the entire room there in verse 10, Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear, but we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as they will. What's interesting is Peter is saying, you're kind of missing. You're missing what the Scriptures were really all about the law and circumcision that never saved. It never worked for salvation. Our fathers were never able to bear the yoke of the law. It was crushing. It demanded perfect, personal and perpetual obedience. It demanded Death to all who break it. You know, I sometimes ask people, What is the gospel? You know, what often people say, and even if you just take a moment, you say, Well, what? How would I summarize the gospel? What is it? What might you say? And so often people will say, Well, isn't it? You know, love, love your neighbor, love, love God, but if you just take a moment, and if your salvation is dependent on how well you have loved God and loving your neighbor, you are doomed. We are doomed. That is not the gospel. That is a summary of the law that you have failed to keep and it condemns you. And Peter says it has condemned our fathers as well.
Pastor: The law revealed our sin and showed us our need, that we need a messiah. We need a Savior, and salvation comes not by keeping the law, but trusting in the one who fulfilled it on your behalf and who died on your behalf, who went to the cross and took all of your sin, not in part, but the whole, and it nailed to the cross. And all of your sin and all of your shame and all of your guilt is on Jesus Christ, and if you put your faith in Him, you also get his perfect record of righteousness is imputed, as we read about, justification, into your account that you are now. Righteous before God, and that is salvation, not by your doing, because you have failed. You will never work your way to heaven, ever. And this is really the irony in this whole text, circumcision was always, always directing Israel as a sign to the bloody death of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be cut off from the people for our sake. It was pointing to what Jesus would do, not what we would do. And that's what the whole Bible is about, isn't it?
Pastor: All of the Bible is, is pointing us to Jesus, the promises, directing us to Jesus, promises fulfilled in Jesus, the salvation of Jesus then applied to us, says, As believers, it's all about Jesus, and they're missing the whole point. That's Peter's speech. Were those in Jerusalem? Were they moral people? Were they sincere people? They were did their sincerity save them? No, it's not sincerity. It's the Savior that saves now, the gospel is affirmed after Peter defends it, the crowd falls silent and Peter's after Peter's speech, and then Paul and Barnabas, they, they begin to speak, and they, they begin to share about, again, what God has done among the Gentiles, how God has opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, how, how God affirm the Word of God through those miracles and how the spirit has brought repentance and faith to them. And then James, that is the half brother of Jesus, who is the leader of the Jerusalem church. If you notice, it's not Peter here who is leading the church in Jerusalem, but But James, he stands to speak, and He appeals to the Scriptures, And He quotes from Amos chapter nine. I'm sure you have all of this memorized, and we know Amos well. Now we don't really know the Amos all that well. This is encouragement for us to get into the Old Testament. And he quotes from Amos chapter nine, verses 11 through 12. I didn't have it memorized, by the way, either.
Pastor: Okay, I had to look this up. But from Amos, he says, After this, I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and that all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who makes these things known, known from of old James says, this is, again, what God has promised.
Pastor: This was always God's plan to rebuild the Fallen tent of David, not an ethnic nation, but a spiritual nation, the true Israel of God, made up of Jew and Gentile alike, united in Christ. This phrase a people called by my name, that was often reserved for the people of Israel, but that title that once belonged to Israel James is now saying it belongs now to all who believe in Christ. There is no longer a division by race or culture or diet or ceremony.
Pastor: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and I'll put my name upon you.
Pastor: James proposes a gracious pastoral resolution not to burden the Gentiles with Jewish ceremonial law, but to call them to abstain from idolatry and immorality, to be obedient. To the law, not in any way that it would save them, but those who are saved, they seek to please the Lord by loving him and doing what He commands. And then the church moves on. The Church moves on forward as one, people, united in Christ every false gospel builds a bridge that cannot bear the weight of your soul.
Pastor: These things might appear strong, they might be wrapped in religious language and even have some scripture attached to it, but if it is Jesus plus anything, it is a bridge built on sand, and it will fail you.
Pastor: And it will fail you at the moment when you need it the most, and it will result in your eternal ruin. Remember, salvation is not something you build or achieve. Salvation is provided to you by God alone, in Christ alone, and all you do is receive it by faith alone, and when you trust in Christ alone, you step on that one and only bridge that can hold you, and you will be ushered into your eternal home. Remember these words of Christ, along with this, he said, I am the Way, the Truth and. The life No one comes to the Father except through me.
Pastor: Let's pray Our Father. We thank You that You have given us the gospel, and Lord, we confess that it is our natural tendency to try to earn our way to heaven. And so Lord, I pray that you'll help us to be aware, that you'll help us to be discerning of our own hearts and also the things that we see and hear, that we will be a people that when the gospel is attacked, that we'll be a people that are rooted in your word well enough, like the Bereans, that we might know what you say and Lord, that we might love you and love our neighbor well enough that we will speak of Christ alone, that we will not back down from that truth. Lord, there is no salvation outside of Christ.
Pastor: Lord, be merciful to your people. Encourage us, strengthen us, forgive us, cleanse us, renew us, heal us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.