Jesus; No add-ons needed Acts 15:1-21

Introduction

How many of us have went to buy a car and you see the price on the sticker or you see the price online and you think wow what a great deal. Then you go to the finance guy and the price he gives you is significantly more expensive than the price that was on the sticker, so you look at the pricing sheet and you see a bunch of add ons. What you thought was a great deal turned out to be way more expensive than you thought.

Here we are going to see some Judaizers that were going to do the same thing with salvation. Here we see they were going to say Jesus + circumcision + keeping the law of Moses = salvation.

This morning I want to remind us that Jesus + nothing = salvation. If we had to do any work in salvation it would be all about us and not about Jesus. This morning I want us to look at the thought Jesus; No Add-Ons needed.

Legalism Creeps in the Early Church vs. 1-5

When Paul and Barnabas returned from their first missionary journey some men came down from Judea and brought some teachings that didn’t line up with the gospel.

Not everyone rejoiced in the door of salvation being opened to the gentiles and here we see a way they tried to keep them out of the church

They came to Antioch and taught that if you are not circumcised after the manner of Moses, they could not be saved.

This wasn’t the first time that Judaizers tried to make Christians conform to Jewish customs and it certainly won’t be the last.

You might ask what does it mean that they had to be circumcised after the manner of Moses. It meant that they would have to be circumcised as it was a seal of the Abrahamic covenant.

Paul and Barnabas were going to have no part in this nonsense they were trying to teach the Church at Antioch.

The Bible says they made no small dissension and disputation with them.

This means they were very much against this teaching and strongly disagreed.

This was a big issue in the early church, so much so that they sent Paul and Barnabas, along with others 250 miles to Jerusalem to settle this matter of debate.

As they headed to Jerusalem they stopped in both Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the gentiles.

Notice how this group of people responded to the great news of the conversion of the gentiles

it caused great joy unto the brethren

The conversion of sinners should bring us great joy as well! Why shouldn’t we rejoice, all of heaven rejoices over one lost soul thats converted

Luke 15:7 “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”

When they got to the church in Jerusalem they were received of the church, apostles, and elders. They told of all the things that God had done in their ministry in the 8 or 9 different cities they went and preached the Gospel in.

There were many converts and churches started during that time.

Verse 5 tells us that not every one was as excited about the Gentile converts.

They said they don’t just need to be circumcised, but they must keep the law of Moses.

May I remind you this morning we could never keep all 631 laws that were given. The group of Pharisees, hadn’t kept the law, in fact there was only one man who live that kept the law and that was Jesus Christ and because of that he was the perfect sacrifice necessary for salvation.

This thought that there has to be something else besides Jesus still goes on today. Salvation is by grace alone, but sometimes without even realizing it we add other things to salvation.

Jesus plus baptism = salvation

Jesus plus church attendance = salvation

Jesus plus bible reading and prayer = salvation

But if we add anything to the gospel, we lose the gospel.

Jesus+nothing=everything

The work of Jesus Christ is totally Sufficient.

One writer said it this way “Salvation by grace alone distinguishes Christianity from every other world religion. Religion is built on human performance, but no one has ever been saved by human performance or religious observance.”

The defence of the Gospel vs. 6-21

After hearing from both sides the apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter.

It seems as though they weren’t getting very far in their disputes, because after much disputing we see three people get up and defend the gospel being Jesus+Nothing

Peter’s Defense 7-11

Peter gets up first and reminds them of an event that took place some ten years earlier.

Remember in Acts 10 when the Lord appeared unto Cornelius and told him to send men to Joppa to get Peter and bring him back to Caesarea. And as those men came to Joppa, Peter was up on the roof praying while waiting on lunch. As Peter was praying he fell into a trance, unclean animals appear to him in this trance and God tells him to rise, kill and eat. He tells God he can’t and then God tells him “what God hath cleansed, call not thou common” after that the vessel was recieved back into heaven and Peter doubted what he had just heard. But the spirit appears to peter and tells him to get up go down and go with them to wherever they go because he had sent them.

Peter goes with them to Cornelius’ house and preaches the gospel and many gentiles are saved

Peter goes on to tell them that God who knows their heart filled them with the Holy Ghost

He then reminds them that they got the same Holy Ghost they had recieved on the day of Pentecost.

God did the same for the Gentiles as He did for the Jews

God is no respecter of persons, the Gospel is for every man

Just like us, Salvation is by grace alone and their hearts are cleansed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter ends his defense with a question and a statement

Why are you tempting God by putting a yoke on the Gentiles that neither our fathers nor us could bear. He asked them How are you going to hold them to a standard that we couldn’t even keep, therefore making the saviour necessary.

We are saved through our faith in Jesus Christ, His life, death, burial and resurrection even as they are.

Look what the Bible says if we preach another gospel

Galatians 1:8–9 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

Paul and Barnabas’ Defense vs. 12

Paul and Barnabas had already told the counsel how God endorsed their trip to the Gentiles and how the conversion bore record that the Gospel was for everyone, and now they declared the same thing to the church.

James’ Defense

James tells them to listen to him and then agrees with what Simeon another name for Simon Peter had said. The Gentile mission was Gods plan.

He not only affirms what Peter said he also backed it up with scripture.

He then quotes Amos 9:11-12.

God has a plan and right now He is using the church as we are in the church age, but God is not done with Israel.

Vs. 17 tells us that the believing remnant of the jews will go int the millennial kingdom with the residue of the believing Gentiles.

James ends his defense with a powerful statement about God vs. 18-20

God knows everything, he knew that the Jews would reject him but had a plan. The Church is His mouthpiece at this time.

He tells them they shouldn’t trouble the gentiles with circumcision and keeping the law but rather right that they abstain from pollution of idols, from fornication and from things strangled and from blood.

None of these were for salvation, but rather to make fellowship between Jewish and gentile believers.

We should never be a stumbling block to our brother and thats what James was trying to avoid by putting this policy out for them

James provided a wise policy that would uphold the gospel of grace while helping preserve Jew-Gentile fellowship. Grace is defended and displayed.

Conclusion

This morning the message was a simple one. Jesus+ nothing = the Gospel. We should never add anything to it, its not by works, its not by going to church or even praying and reading your bible. Salvation is through Christ alone.

If you have never trust in Christ for Salvation, why not today?