Conflict over circumcision
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 8 viewsNotes
Transcript
Talk to your neighbor about the video and everything that took place over the last year. Now talk to your neighbor about what can we do to progress over the next year.
The difficult thing about Christianity is that a lot of times we have to re-learn what we’ve been taught.
Its okay to acknowledge the fact that you are wrong.
“Never let mistakes or wrong directions, of which every man falls into many, discourage you. There is precious instruction to be got by finding where we were wrong.”
Thomas Carlyle
Getting things wrong in Christianity is apart of growing and understanding your need for a God is is never wrong.
“The only One you don’t want to get wrong is Christ because if you get Him wrong you everything else wrong. “
We are going to dive into a story. We are a whole nation has to be rethought. Not only did the nation of Israel had to be retaught but also the Gentiles coming in to Christianity had to be retaught.
1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;
12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision.
These certain men who came with James had great influence on prominent men like Barnabas where persuaded by these “certain men “ the rest of the converted Jews also played the hypocrite.
These certain men got there theology from passages like Gen 17:14,Ex. 12:48-49
14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
&
48 And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it.
49 One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.”
These “certain men” are called Judaizers.
Three general categories of Judaizers.
1. Custom-observing Judaizers maintained distinct Jewish customs within Graeco-Roman society but placed no salvation or membership significance on observance of the Mosaic law.
These where people who observed all the Jewish customs but they believe it had nothing to do with there membership of a particular local assembly or salvation.
2. Social Judaizers placed social or membership significance on observance of the law and insisted on social separation from Gentile Christians.
These are Judaizers that purposefully only socialize with other common minded Judaizers.
So you can be a Christian but if your not socially similar to us we won’t fellowship with you.
So you significance as a person was based on your observance of the Mosiac law.
3. Elitist Judaizers placed salvation and membership significance on observance of the law and insisted on circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, dietary restrictions in order to belong to God’s people and be saved.
So you aren’t saved if you don’t adhere to the law.
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
Paul and Barnabas got into a sharp debate with the Judaizers.
3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren.
4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.
5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.
7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
God the knower of hearts has given the Holy Spirit to the gentiles so they can become believers as well.
9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
God made no distinction between Gentile and Jew. God cleansed there hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
They tested God by seeing how far they can push God. How far can I push my limits.
Peter is asking why would you try to impose a burden that you yourselves aren’t able to bear. Neither where there fathers and there grandfathers where able to bear.
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Have you ever given relationship advice but can’t keep your advice.
This are the five point on how to keep a relationship but your single. Living in moms basement.
Imagine having a standard that you can’t fullfil but everyone expects you to fullfill it.
So your trying set this expectation on yourself but can’t fulfill it so whats the next move which is to lie about your reaching that standard. And you lie so much that you have people believing you reach that standard then you convince yourself you hit that standard and your life is oozing of hypocrisy.
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.
13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me:
14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’
18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works.
19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,
20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
God was always drawing a line in the sand. To show thats He’s not like other Gods.
The main issue for which the council was called has been resolved.
James then proposes what at first glance appears to be a qualification of the freedom of Gentile Christians was a usual practice among Gentiles to use an idol’s temple for banquets and celebrations.
These practices held allot more wait then the act themselves. But it what they represented worshiping false idols.
Fornication was such a common sin among the Gentiles that it was an accepted practice.
Knowing at the time the gentiles low moral standards but as well the fact that had liberty James insituited these so the Gentiles wouldn’t be a stumbling block to the Jews.
13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
James’s proposal, then, teaches us three things about life together in a culturally diverse church.
1. We must say no to any form of cultural imperialism that demands others’ conformity to our cultural standards before we will accept them and their spiritual experience.
2. We must say yes to mutual respect for our differences.
3. And we must live out that respect even to the extent of using our freedom to forgo what is permissible in other circumstances.
The Jewish people of the day had no issue with the Gentile inclusion. They where for it like yeah come and join us. But if you join us you must become Jewish. Jesus didn’t die so you can become a spiritual Jewish person . Contrary to Kanye West/ Kendrick Lamar belief.